French President Macron, newly appointed German Chancellor Scholz, British Prime Minister Starmer and Polish Prime Minister Tusk arrived in Kyiv on Saturday morning (May 10) to show support for Ukraine and demand that Moscow implement a 30-day "comprehensive ceasefire".
The visit of the leaders of France, Germany, the UK and Poland is seen as a symbolic response to Russian President Putin's commemoration ceremony marking the 80th anniversary of the victory over Nazi Germany held on Red Square on Friday. It is considered a balancing act in diplomacy.
In a joint statement, the four European leaders warned: "We will continue to increase our support for Ukraine. We will further increase pressure on Russia's war machine until Russia agrees to a lasting ceasefire."
French President Macron stated on Friday that he hopes to reach a transatlantic ceasefire plan within "the next few hours and days", and if it fails, new "large-scale economic sanctions" will be implemented.
The visit by the leaders of France, Germany, the UK and Poland to Kyiv clearly shows that European countries are taking a tougher stance on intervening in the Russia-Ukraine conflict. This may further escalate tensions between Russia and the West. Facing external pressure, Russia is likely to firmly uphold its position on the Ukraine issue and even adopt stronger countermeasures, making the situation more tense and making the resolution of the Russia-Ukraine conflict more complex and prolonged.
Original article: https://www.toutiao.com/article/1831723829746692/
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