Ukraine Ceasefire Talks Intensify Amid Sanctions Threat
The international community is putting pressure on Russia to accept the proposed ceasefire, with the threat of fresh sanctions if it rejects the proposal. The meeting between European leaders and Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelensky is a crucial step in the efforts to end the conflict in Ukraine.
European leaders, including Emmanuel Macron and Donald Tusk, have called US President Donald Trump to discuss a 30-day ceasefire in Ukraine, with Ukraine's allies being asked to stop sending weapons before a ceasefire can happen.
The proposed ceasefire is part of a larger effort to end the conflict in Ukraine, which has been ongoing for months. US President Donald Trump has called for an unconditional ceasefire, which Moscow has repeatedly rejected. Trump's special envoy, Steve Witkoff, has met with Russian President Vladimir Putin four times to discuss the proposal, but to no avail.
European leaders, including French President Emmanuel Macron, British Prime Minister Keir Starmer, and German Chancellor Friedrich Merz, are set to meet with Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelensky in Kyiv on Saturday to discuss the proposal. The meeting is part of a coordinated effort to put pressure on Russia to accept the ceasefire. US Secretary of State Marco Rubio has also threatened that the US would walk away from talks if there is no progress.
The European Union's foreign policy chief, Kaja Kallas, and several top diplomats from other European countries attended a meeting in the western Ukrainian city of Lviv to endorse the ceasefire proposal. Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov says Russia is "used to sanctions" and that arms deliveries to Ukraine will be an "advantage" for the country, while Putin is trying to achieve a settlement through peaceful means.