Western leaders to visit Kyiv in show of support for Ukraine amid Putin's sham 'truce'

The leaders of the United Kingdon, France, Germany, and Poland will visit Kyiv on May 10 to demonstrate their support for Ukraine, the leaders announced in a joint statement May 9.

The planned visit comes the day after Russia's Victory Day parade in Moscow, an annual event the Kremlin uses to showcase its military might and justify the full-scale invasion of Ukraine. Russian President Vladimir Putin invited a number of world leaders, including Chinese President Xi Jinping, to attend this year's celebrations.

U.K. Prime Minister Keir Starmer, French President Emmanuel Macron, German Chancellor Friedrich Merz, and Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk are set to arrive in Kyiv early on May 10 to meet with President Volodymyr Zelensky, according to a statement from the U.K. government.

The historic visit marks the first time the leaders of all four countries have traveled to Ukraine together and Merz's first visit to Ukraine as Germany's chancellor.

The visit also comes the day after U.S. President Donald Trump demanded a "30-day unconditional ceasefire" between Russia and Ukraine. Reuters reported on May 9 that the U.S. and European allies are currently finalizing their proposal for a full 30-day truce.

"We, the leaders of France, Germany, Poland, and the United Kingdom will stand in Kyiv in solidarity with Ukraine against Russia's barbaric and illegal full-scale invasion," the joint statement reads.

"We reiterate our backing for President Trump's calls for a peace deal and call on Russia to stop obstructing efforts to secure an enduring peace. Alongside the U.S., we call on Russia to agree to a full and unconditional 30-day ceasefire to create the space for talks on a just and lasting peace."

Since March, Ukraine has agreed to accept a complete ceasefire as soon as Russia agrees to the same terms. Russia has rejected these conditions repeatedly, insisting it will not begin a full ceasefire until Ukraine makes extreme concessions, including halting all military aid.

Instead, Putin has proposed a series of partial and temporary truces, which Russia has then proceeded to break. Ahead of Victory Day, Putin unilaterally declared a temporary ceasefire from May 8-11. Nonetheless, attacks against Ukrainian civilians and front-line assaults have continued.

The U.S. embassy in Kyiv on May 9 warned that "a potentially significant air attack" could occur in the coming days — amid Russia's so-called ceasefire.

"We are ready to support peace talks as soon as possible, to discuss technical implementation of the ceasefire, and prepare for a full peace deal," the joint statement said.

"We are clear the bloodshed must end, Russia must stop its illegal invasion, and Ukraine must be able to prosper as a safe, secure, and sovereign nation within its internationally recognized borders for generations to come."

The four leaders will visit Kyiv's Independence Square to pay their respects to Ukraine's fallen soldiers and casualties of the full-scale war, according to the announcement. They will also host a virtual meeting alongside Zelensky briefing allies on the work of a future coalition that will monitor peace in Ukraine.

The "air, land, maritime, and regeneration force" will help bolster Ukraine's military following an eventual peace deal and will "strenghten confidence in any future peace," the statement read.

‘The enemy is right here’ — how Ukrainians living under Russian occupation defied Putin’s ‘Victory Day’

Editor’s Note: The identities of Yellow Ribbon activists who live in Russian-occupied territory have been withheld for security reasons. “When my child hears about May 9 they almost scream, and so do I,” an activist with the Ukrainian Yellow Ribbon civil resistance group currently living in the Russian-occupied town of Tokmak in Zaporizhzhia Oblast, tells the Kyiv Independent. “Every week at school, from the very beginning of the semester, my kid has to do something about May 9,’” “We have le

The Kyiv IndependentYuliia Taradiuk