Merz, Tusk, Starmer and Macron travel together to Ukraine

Berlin/Kyiv – The heads of state and government of Germany, Poland, Great Britain, and France will travel together to Ukraine on Saturday. They will meet with Ukrainian President Zelenskyy on Saturday morning, according to official information, to "reaffirm their unwavering commitment to supporting Ukraine," as the German government announced overnight. This is the first joint visit of the heads of state and government of these four countries to Ukraine and the first trip there for Friedrich Merz as the newly elected Chancellor.

The German government emphasized that prior to the visit, US President Donald Trump had also called on Russia to agree to a 30-day ceasefire to facilitate peace negotiations. The four heads of state and government declared in the joint statement that they also support Trump's call for a peace agreement.

Russia is now called upon to stop hindering efforts toward a lasting peace. "Together with the United States, we call on Russia to agree to a complete and unconditional 30-day ceasefire to create space for talks on a just and lasting peace." It continues: "We stand ready to support peace talks aimed at the technical implementation of a ceasefire and the preparation of a comprehensive peace agreement as soon as possible." The bloodshed must end, Russia must end its illegal war of aggression, and Ukraine must be enabled "to develop as a sovereign nation within its internationally recognized borders, including for future generations." According to the joint statement, support for Ukraine will be further expanded. "As long as Russia does not agree to a permanent ceasefire, we will continue to increase the pressure on Russia's war machine," the text states. During the visit, the heads of state and government will, among other things, commemorate the victims of the war at the Maidan, where flags were placed for the Ukrainians killed. Later, they plan to co-chair a virtual meeting of the Ukraine Support Group with President Zelenskyy to discuss ongoing progress towards creating a coalition of future air, sea, land and regeneration forces to rebuild the Ukrainian army after a peace agreement and build confidence in lasting peace.