A complete and unconditional ceasefire is to begin on Monday, May 12, for at least 30 days.
Volodymyr Zelensky said this at a briefing following the meeting of the "Coalition of the Willing".
"We together demand this from Russia. We know that the United States of America supports us in this. An unconditional ceasefire means without any conditions," said Volodymyr Zelensky.
According to him, the ceasefire should be comprehensive, that is, in the air, at sea, and on land, and monitoring can be ensured together with the United States.
The President stressed that if Russia does not agree to a full and unconditional ceasefire, tougher sanctions should be imposed on its energy sector and banking system. He also added that the 17th package of EU sanctions is currently being prepared and coordinated with Britain, Norway and the United States.
"If Putin does not return to the path of peace, we will respond. Together with President Trump, we will increase our assistance to Ukraineʼs defense force to force Russia to the negotiating table," said British Prime Minister Keir Starmer.
French President Emmanuel Macron and Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk also confirmed the sanctions thesis.
Ceasefire negotiations
Washington is negotiating with Russia and Ukraine to end the war, but a true ceasefire is still in sight. Kyiv has already agreed to halt hostilities in the Black Sea and not attack Russian energy facilities during a 30-day ceasefire. Moscow, in return, has only promised not to attack energy facilities and said it would implement agreements on the Black Sea only after Western sanctions are lifted.
The US President Donald Trump threatened to impose massive sanctions on Russia, including banking sanctions and new tariffs, unless there is a ceasefire and a peace deal with Ukraine. However, he has not done so. But in the past week, US rhetoric towards Russia has begun to intensify.
Thus, when asked by a journalist about Russiaʼs concessions in the context of a peace agreement, Trump stated that Russia would have to give up all of Ukraine.
"Russia will have to give up all of Ukraine. Because Russia wants all of Ukraine. And if I hadnʼt intervened, they would have continued to fight for all of Ukraine right now. Russia doesnʼt just need the piece it has now — it needs all of Ukraine," the US president said.
The US Vice President J.D. Vance said that Russia is demanding "too much" during peace talks to end the war in Ukraine.
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