KYIV, Ukraine (AP) 鈥� Leaders from four major European countries threatened to ratchet up pressure on Russian President Vladimir Putin if he does not accept an unconditional 30-day ceasefire in Ukraine that they offered on Saturday in a strong show of unity with Kyiv.
The leaders of France, the United Kingdom, Germany and Poland said their proposal for a ceasefire to start on Monday was supported by U.S. President Donald Trump, whom they had briefed over the phone earlier in the day.
There was no immediate response from Moscow, whose own unilateral three-day ceasefire declared for the 80th anniversary of victory over Nazi Germany expires Saturday. Ukraine says Russian forces have repeatedly violated it. In March, the United States proposed an immediate, limited 30-day truce, which Ukraine accepted, but the Kremlin has held out for .
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, speaking to reporters alongside the European leaders in Kyiv, called their meeting "a very important signal.鈥�
French President Emmanuel Macron said that the U.S. would take the lead in monitoring the proposed cease-fire, with support from European countries, and threatened 鈥渕assive sanctions ... prepared and coordinated, between Europeans and Americans,鈥� should Russia violate the truce.
Macron traveled to Kyiv with British Prime Minister Keir Starmer, German Chancellor Friedrich Merz and Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk.
鈥淭his is Europe stepping up, showing our solidarity with Ukraine,鈥� Starmer said.
Retired Lt. Gen. Keith Kellogg, Trump鈥檚 special envoy to Ukraine and Russia, said Saturday that a 鈥渃omprehensive鈥� 30-day ceasefire, covering attacks from the air, land, sea and on infrastructure, 鈥渨ill start the process for ending the largest and longest war in Europe since World War II.鈥�
Europe threatens more sanctions if Russia ignores ceasefire offer
Progress on ending the three-year war has seemed elusive in the months since Trump returned to the White House, and his previous claims of imminent breakthroughs have failed to come to fruition. Trump has previously pushed Ukraine to cede territory to Russia to end the war, .
Since the start of U.S.-mediated talks, Russia has kept up attacks along the roughly 1,000-kilometer (600-mile) front line,
The ceasefire would include a halt to fighting on land, sea and in the air. The European leaders threatened to ratchet up sanctions, including on Russia鈥檚 energy and banking sectors, if Putin did not comply.
The priority was to make it too costly for Russia to keep fighting in Ukraine, said Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha.
When asked how the monitoring mechanism would work, Sybiha told The Associated Press the details were still being discussed.
Addressing scepticism over whether fresh sanctions against Moscow, which has so far managed to keep fighting in the war, Merz said 鈥渁lmost 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.鈥�
The leaders also discussed security guarantees for Ukraine.
Building up Kyiv's military capabilities will be a key deterrent against Russia and require supplying Ukraine with robust quantities of arms to deter future attacks and investing in its defense sector. A force comprised of foreign troops could also be deployed as an added 鈥渞eassurance鈥� measure, Macron said.
He said details about potential European deployments to Ukraine were still being fine-tuned. No mention was made of NATO membership, still Kyiv鈥檚 top choice for a security guarantee.
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 for fallen Ukrainian soldiers and civilians slain since Russia's invasion.
Russian attacks continue
On Saturday morning, local officials in Ukraine鈥檚 northern Sumy region said Russian shelling over the past day killed three residents and wounded four more. Another civilian man died on the spot on Saturday as a Russian drone struck the southern city of Kherson, according to regional Gov. Oleksandr Prokudin.
Trump said last week that he doubts Putin wants to end his , expressing new skepticism that a peace deal can be reached soon, and .
Ukraine鈥檚 European allies view its fate as fundamental to the continent鈥檚 security, and pressure is now mounting to find ways to support Kyiv militarily, regardless of whether Trump pulls out.
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Associated Press writers Thomas Adamson in Paris, Philipp Reissfelder in Berlin and Danica Kirka in London contributed to this report.
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Follow AP鈥檚 coverage of the war in Ukraine at
Samya Kullab And Illia Novikov, The Associated Press
