The Coalition of the Willing: A Skype Visit to Ukraine by the European Premier, Keir Starmer, and the German Prime Minister Friedrich Merz
French President Emmanuel Macron, who called Ukraine “the beating heart of Europe” – documented the leaders’ journey by train on Instagram and posted a video of the group with Zelenskyy and Ukrainian First Lady Olena Zelenska visiting a memorial to the war dead in central Kyiv. Poland’s prime minister said that the meeting with his counterpart in the Russian city of Kyiv was symbolic because of the Russian attacks on the city.
The proposal from Putin came after leaders of four major European countries threatened to increase pressure on Moscow if it doesn’t accept a 30-day ceasefire in Ukraine.
Five leaders called for a truce lasting at least 30 days from Monday so that they can have a diplomatic push to end the war.
“All of us here, together with the U.S., are calling Putin out,” added British prime minister Keir Starmer. He has a chance to show that he is serious about peace.
Retired Lt. Gen. Keith Kellogg, Trump’s special envoy to Ukraine, said Saturday that a “comprehensive” 30-day ceasefire, covering attacks from the air, land, sea and on infrastructure, “will start the process for ending the largest and longest war in Europe since World War II.”
Starmer, along with the leaders of France, Germany and Poland, traveled together to Kyiv in their first joint appearance to take part in a virtual meeting of the “coalition of the willing,” which includes mostly European nations who would assist Ukraine if there is a durable ceasefire after more than three years of Russia’s full-scale war.
Those joining by video link included Italy’s Giorgia Meloni, Canada’s Mark Carney, NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte and European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen.
This was the first visit to Ukraine by the new German chancellor, Friedrich Merz, a strong Ukraine advocate who assumed office on May 6. Merz was quoted on Saturday as saying that if Russia rejects the proposal then Europe will keep defending the country.
Russia gave the U.S. a small advance warning before launching its first ever missile strike on Ukraine in November.
Three residents were killed and four others were wounded by Russian shelling in the northern Sumy region over the past day. The governor of the region says that another civilian has died as a result of the Russian strike on Kherson.
Russian-Ukranian ceasefire in the aftermath of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine: U.S.-mediated talks, nuclear sanctions, and deterrents
Russian President Putin offered to resume direct talks with Ukranian on May 15 in Istanbul without preconditions, in reply to the Ukrainians who are urging Moscow to commit to an immediate truce or face harsher sanctions.
Turkey hosted unsuccessful negotiations between Russia and Ukranian negotiators trying to end the hostilities following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. The proposed deal reportedly included provisions for Ukraine’s neutral status and put limits on its armed forces, while delaying talks on the status of Russian-occupied areas.
The definition of a ceasefire by definition doesn’t include any conditions. This can only be seen as an effort on the part of Russia to prolong the war and undermine diplomacy.
European countries would support the proposed ceasefire with support from the US and should Russia violate it, the US would take the lead in monitoring and threatening massive sanctions.
Meanwhile, Putin on Saturday held a series of bilateral talks with foreign officials who had attended Moscow’s own celebrations marking the defeat of Nazi Germany, in an apparent attempt to underscore the West’s failure to isolate it on the global stage. Putin’s interlocutors included To Lam, General Secretary of the Communist Party of Vietnam, and the leaders of Zimbabwe, Burkina Faso and the Palestinian Authority.
Trump said last week that he doubts Putin wants to end his war in Ukraine, expressing new skepticism that a peace deal can be reached soon, and hinted at further sanctions against Russia.
Since the start of U.S.-mediated talks, Russia has kept up attacks along the roughly 1,000-kilometer (600-mile) front line, including deadly strikes on residential areas with no obvious military targets.
Addressing skepticism over whether fresh sanctions against Moscow, which has so far managed to keep fighting in the war, Merz said “almost all member states of the European Union and a large coalition of the willing around the world are determined to enforce these sanctions even if our initiative of the weekend should fail.”
A key deterrent against Russia will be for Kyiv to obtain robust quantities of arms to deter future attacks and it will need to invest in its defense sector. A foreign troops force could be deployed as a reassurance measure.
He said that the details about the potential deployment to Ukraine were still being worked out. No mention was made of NATO membership, still Kyiv’s top choice for a security guarantee.
Source: Russia’s Putin proposes direct talks with Ukraine in Istanbul on May 15
Kiev’s 80th anniversary of World War II: The EU, the Kremlin, Russia and the Vienna High-Energy Dialogue
Earlier on Saturday, the European leaders joined a ceremony at Kyiv’s Independence Square marking the 80th anniversary of the end of World War II. They lit candles alongside Zelenskyy at a makeshift flag memorial for fallen Ukrainian soldiers and civilians slain since Russia’s invasion.
The embassy issued a warning about Moscow banning flights over the Kapustin Yar military training and rocket launch complex. A similar flight ban preceded November’s strike. There was no immediate comment from Russian officials.
Trump has called for Ukraine and Russia to meet for “very high level talks,” saying they are “very close to a deal” on ending the bloody three-year war.
In remarks to reporters early on Sunday, Putin suggested restarting peace talks without preconditions, and said they should have taken place in Istanbul in March after Moscow’s invasion.