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.
Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov on Saturday told CNN that Moscow will need to consider the proposal. Earlier that day, Peskov reiterated Russia’s claim that it was ready for peace talks with Ukraine “without preconditions”, and accused Kyiv of blocking those.
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Russia’s own unilateral three-day ceasefire, declared for the 80th anniversary of victory over Nazi Germany expires Saturday, and Ukraine says Russian forces have repeatedly violated it. In March, the United States proposed an …