Leaders from four major European countries threatened to ratchet up pressure on Russian President Vladimir Putin if he does not accept an unconditional 30-day ceasefire in Ukraine that they offered on Saturday in a strong show of unity with Kyiv.

F OUR EUROPEAN leaders joined Volodymyr Zelensky in Kyiv on May 10th to issue a peace ultimatum to Vladimir Putin: accept a comprehensive 30-day Ukrainian ceasefire starting on Monday or face fresh sanctions.

Ukraine’s Western allies including the US are threatening to slap Russia with more sanctions if Moscow fails to sign up to the 30-day truce in Ukraine proposed by the United States.