Ukraine-Russia war latest: Starmer and EU leaders call Trump from Kyiv in push for 30-day ceasefire

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky and the visiting leaders of Britain, France, Germany and Poland held a phone call with US President Donald Trump on Saturday and discussed their peace efforts, the Ukrainian foreign minister said.

Following a virtual call with leaders in the ‘coalition of the willing’, Nato leader Rutte said it was “clear from our meeting today that we are committed and continue to stand with Ukraine”.

Slovak prime minister Robert Fico said on Friday his country wanted to develop relations with Russia, and he derided those in the European Union who he said created obstacles to his attendance at World War Two commemorations in Moscow.

Mr Fico broke ranks with the EU by visiting Moscow late last year, more than two years after Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.

He met with Russian President Vladimir Putin in the Kremlin late on Friday evening following the Red Square parade marking the 80th anniversary of the victory over Nazi Germany.

“As a head of government, I want to assure you that it is in my interest to have pragmatic relations with the Russian Federation,” Russian news agencies quoted Fico as telling Putin.

He said he opposed the creation of any new “iron curtain and pledge to do everything so that we can shake hands across a curtain”.

“Let us consider as a childish joke all the technical problems we confronted, created by our European Union colleagues.”

Ukraine and its allies are ready for a “full, unconditional ceasefire” with Russia for at least 30 days starting on Monday, Ukrainian foreign minister Andrii Sybiha said.

His remarks came as the leaders of four major European countries visited Kyiv, amid a push for Moscow to agree to a truce and launch peace talks on ending the nearly three-year war.

Sir Keir Starmer, Emmanuel Macron, Donald Tusk and Friedrich Merz are in Kyiv for a meeting with the Ukrainian president.

The meeting, which is bringing together a ‘coalition of the willing’, will consider the terms of a peace deal between Ukraine and Moscow and how to implement a temporary ceasefire.

President of the European Commission Ursula von der Leyen has said that the “ball is now in Russia’s court” to agree on a 30-day ceasefire in the Ukraine war.

Posting on X, formerly Twitter, Ms von der Leyen said: “We support the proposal for a full and unconditional 30-day ceasefire. It must be implemented without preconditions to pave the way for meaningful peace negotiations.

“The ball is now in Russia’s court. We stand ready to maintain strong pressure on Russia and impose further biting sanctions in the event of a breach of a ceasefire.

“Our objective is clear: a just and lasting peace for Ukraine, which is vital for security and stability across our continent”.

Echoing French president Emmanuel Macron’s position, German chancellor Friedrich Merz has threatened Moscow with a “massive tightening of sanctions”, which would happen on a “financial and military level” if Russia does not accept a 30-day ceasefire.

Speaking to the German newspaper Bild, Mr Merz said: “We are in agreement with the American government, with Donald Trump. We are asking for a 30-day ceasefire so that peace negotiations can be prepared during this period.

“The ball is now in Putin’s court. Putin must respond to this offer.”

Mr Merz said that Mr Trump was “clearly losing patience with Putin”.

The UK prime minister Sir Keir Starmer has said that Russia must agree to “a full and unconditional 30-day ceasefire to create the space for talks on a just and lasting peace in Ukraine”.

Sir Keir posted a statement on X, formerly Twitter, after arriving in Kyiv alongside the leaders of France, Poland and Germany.

He added: “Every step we take towards that is another step towards security and prosperity in the UK”.

Watch the moment UK prime minister Sir Keir Starmer arrived in Kyiv alongside the leaders of France, Germany, and Poland—the first time leaders from all four nations have travelled to Ukraine together. Their historic visit marks a unified call for peace as the war continues.

It also marks Chancellor Merz’s first trip to Ukraine since taking office.

French president Emmanuel Macron told French broadcaster TFI on Saturday morning that he stands ready to impose more sanctions on Russia if don’t agree to a ceasefire.

Speaking on the train that took him to Kyiv, Mr Macron explained that the first objective of European leaders’ meeting with Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky was “to have this peace, even if precarious, even if temporary for 30 days, which will allow us to start discussions to build a lasting, robust peace, one which will provide security guarantees that prevent Russia from going any further”.

He added: “The decision we must make collectively is to say: If Russia does not commit to these 30 days of ceasefire and to these discussions, we must be able to impose additional sanctions that are much harsher on the Russian economy and in some way dissuasive”.

French president Emmanuel Macron has said Ukraine and Russia need to start direct talks about a ceasefire and European leaders will facilitate that.

Speaking to French media on Saturday morning ahead of his visit to Kyiv, Mr Macron said: “I am convinced that we will succeed in starting discussions. Will we have a clear ceasefire? I’m afraid we will never have any great clarity”. But Mr Macron added that the objective of the meeting was to “demonstrate the unity of Ukraine, Europe and the United States”.

He proposed: “If we all commit to saying ‘this 30-day people is what you’ve been telling the world for months, we’ll do it, we’ll engage in direct Ukraine-Russia talks, we’re ready to help, and if you don’t respect the ceasefire, there will be additional sanctions’, I think we can achieve results”.