How did Macron, Merz, Tusk, and Trump react?

^{The Chancellor of Germany, the Presidents of France and Ukraine, as well as the Prime Ministers of the United Kingdom and Poland during the meeting in Kyiv on Saturday. Photo: EPA}
On Sunday, Ukraine’s European allies issued nearly identical statements, emphasizing their demand for a ceasefire agreement.

French President Emmanuel Macron called the Russian President’s proposal “a first step, but not enough.”

“There will be no unconditional ceasefire before negotiations begin. Putin is looking for a path, but he wants to buy time,” he told journalists while returning home from Kyiv in the Polish city of Przemyśl.

On Sunday morning, Macron wrote that negotiations cannot be conducted in parallel with ongoing military operations.

“In Kyiv and together with President Trump, we made a clear proposal: a 30-day ceasefire starting Monday, with no preconditions. President Zelensky agreed to this and did not set any conditions. We are now awaiting a similar clear response from Russia,” Macron wrote on social media platform X.
“You cannot negotiate when the guns are talking. You cannot negotiate when civilians are being bombed. To start negotiations, a ceasefire must be declared immediately. For the sake of peace.”

German Chancellor Friedrich Merz also, like Macron and Zelensky, called Putin’s remarks “a good sign,” but emphasized that “this is still far from enough.”

“We are expecting Moscow to agree to a ceasefire that will allow real negotiations to begin. First, the weapons must fall silent, and only then can discussions start,” stated Merz.

“In response to our call, the Russians proposed starting peace talks from May 15. But the world is waiting for a clear and unconditional ceasefire decision immediately. Ukraine is ready. Enough victims!” — wrote Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk.

U.S. President Donald Trump has so far limited himself to a general commentary on recent events, calling them “a potentially great day” for both Russia and Ukraine.

“Just imagine — if this ‘bloodbath’ ends, hundreds of thousands of lives will be saved. This will be a new world, far better than the previous one. I will continue working with both sides to achieve this,” he wrote on his Truth Social platform.

However, it is unclear from the U.S. president’s post what exactly he is hopeful аbout: whether it’s the collective 30-day ceasefire demand by Ukraine’s allies or Vladimir Putin’s proposal to skip the ceasefire and return to direct negotiations.

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