Trip as a signal to Putin: Merz, Macron and Starmer arrive in Kyiv

This has never happened in more than three years of war in Ukraine: the heads of state and government of the four most important European partners are coming together to Kyiv - with a clear message.

The heads of state and government of Germany, France, and Great Britain have arrived in Kyiv for a joint visit. German Chancellor Friedrich Merz, French President Emmanuel Macron, and British Prime Minister Keir Starmer arrived in the Ukrainian capital by train this morning. There, they plan to meet with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky and Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk.

With their visit, the heads of state and government intend to reaffirm the four countries' continued support for Ukraine in the face of Russia's war of aggression, as they emphasized in a joint statement issued Friday evening. They called for a 30-day ceasefire in the conflict and declared their readiness to support peace talks between Russia and Ukraine. The ceasefire should "create space for talks on a just and lasting peace."

For the first time since Trump took office, the US and Europe appear to be pulling together in efforts to end the war in Ukraine – at least on this one point. In recent months, Trump had tried to end the war alone. So far, he has been unsuccessful. Trump had, in the meantime, put massive pressure on Zelensky to make concessions to Putin. The Europeans, however, warned against a dictated peace.

In the statement, the Europeans now make it clear that a cession of Ukraine's territory to Russia is out of the question for them. "Russia must end its illegal war of aggression, and Ukraine must be enabled to develop as a sovereign nation within its internationally recognized borders, also for future generations."

For Merz, on his fourth day in office, this is already the fourth capital he's visited, following Paris, Warsaw, and Brussels. He has set the goal of ensuring that Germany assumes more international responsibility again. He repeatedly cites France, Poland, and Great Britain as his most important partners in Europe.