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MOSCOW: After European leaders backed a US plan for a 30-day ceasefire in Ukraine and threatened Russia with “massive” sanctions if it failed to comply, the Kremlin accused European countries on Saturday of making contradictory and confrontational statements.
“We hear many contradictory statements from Europe. They are generally confrontational in nature rather than aimed at trying to revive our relations. Nothing more,” Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov was quoted as saying.
Ukraine and European leaders agreed on Saturday to an unconditional 30-day ceasefire on May 12 with the backing of US President Donald Trump, threatening President Vladimir Putin with new “massive” sanctions if he failed to comply.
The announcement was made by the leaders of Britain, France, Germany, Poland and Ukraine after a meeting in Kyiv, after which they held a phone call with Trump. The US leader, who wants a rapid peace, has not commented publicly on the course of action.
“So all of us here, together with the US, are calling Putin out. If he is serious about peace, then he has a chance to show it,” British Prime Minister Keir Starmer told reporters at a news conference.
“No more ifs and buts, no more conditions and delays.”
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky told reporters at the news conference after their talks that he and the visiting leaders “agreed that on Monday (May 12) there must start an unconditional ceasefire”.
He added that it should cover air, sea and land, and said that if Moscow refused, it would face new sanctions, including the strengthening of punitive measures targeting its energy and banking sectors.
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov was quoted as saying on Friday that Russia supported the implementation of a 30-day ceasefire, but only with due consideration of “nuances”.
In remarks to ABC News that were aired on Saturday, Peskov suggested that Western military assistance for Ukraine would have to stop in order for a temporary ceasefire to happen. “Otherwise it will be an advantage for Ukraine,” he said.
In Kyiv, the European leaders said they held a phone call with President Trump after their talks. Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha posted a photograph on X of the five men huddled around a table with a phone on the desk.
Published in Dawn, May 11th, 2025
