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International leaders have met to discuss a 30-day ceasefire between Ukraine and Russian troops, to “create room for diplomacy”.
The leaders of France, Germany, Poland, the United Kingdom and Ukraine met in Kyiv on 10 May to discuss the ongoing Ukraine–Russia war, according to a recently released joint statement.
The international officials agreed that there should be a full and unconditional ceasefire, for at least 30 days, starting from Monday, 12 May to “create room for diplomacy”.
“An unconditional ceasefire by definition cannot be subject to any conditions. If Russia calls for such conditions, this can only be considered as an effort to prolong the war and undermine diplomacy,” according to the joint statement.
“During this period, diplomatic work should focus on outlining the security, political and humanitarian foundations of peace.
“They underlined the crucial importance of strengthening Ukraine’s Defence and Security Forces as the primary guarantee of Ukraine’s sovereignty and security. A key element of security guarantees to Ukraine should also be a reassurance force.
“They agreed that if Russia refuses a full and unconditional ceasefire, stronger sanctions should be applied to its banking and energy sectors, targeting fossil fuels, oil and the shadow fleet.”
The joint statement declared that a ceasefire and meaningful negotiations is supported by both Europe and the United States. Leaders also agree to pass a strong 17th EU sanctions package and to coordinate it with sanctions imposed by the United Kingdom and Norway, as well as by the United States.
“They agreed to continue working on the effective use of frozen Russian assets and to discuss this at the next G7 summit,” the statement said.
“They expressed their readiness to further strengthen Ukraine’s defence, especially the Ukrainian army. This should include funding defence resilience and investment in arms production in both Ukraine and in European countries in the framework of joint projects.”
