European leaders arrive for Kyiv talks

UNPRECEDENTED VISIT SHOWS SUPPORT AFTER PUTIN'S PARADE

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The leaders of Britain, France, Germany and Poland arrived in Kyiv yesterday for talks with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky in a show of unity a day after Russia's Vladimir Putin hosted his allies in a Victory Day parade on Red Square.

The summit will discuss a US and European proposal for a 30-day ceasefire in the Russian war in Ukraine that if refused by Moscow would see them jointly impose new sanctions, a French diplomatic source said, adding that the step had not yet been finalised.

The visit by British Prime Minister Keir Starmer, French President Emmanuel Macron, German Chancellor Friedrich Merz and Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk is the first time the leaders of the four countries have travelled together to Ukraine.

“Alongside the US, we call on Russia to agree a full and unconditional 30-day ceasefire to create the space for talks on a just and lasting peace,” the four leaders said in a joint statement.

The visit comes at an unpredictable diplomatic moment in Russia's more than three-year-long war against Ukraine. US President Donald Trump is pushing for a rapid peace after tearing up the policies of his predecessor since entering the White House in January.