European Leaders Visit Kyiv in a Show of Solidarity for Ukraine

The leaders of Britain, France, Germany and Poland arrived together in Kyiv on Saturday for their first-ever joint visit to Ukraine, pledging to intensify pressure on Russia until it agreed to a full, unconditional 30-day cease-fire.

Ukraine’s foreign minister, Andrii Sybiha, released a photograph of President Volodymyr Zelensky and the four other European leaders huddled around a phone as, Mr. Sybiha said, they spoke with President Trump.

“Ukraine and all allies are ready for a full unconditional ceasefire on land, air, and at sea for at least 30 days starting already on Monday,” Mr. Sybiha wrote on social media. “If Russia agrees and effective monitoring is ensured, a durable ceasefire and confidence-building measures can pave the way to peace negotiations.”

The visit was intended to underscore Europe’s enduring commitment to Ukraine’s defense and sovereignty after more than three years of war with Russia. It came one day after Russia’s celebration of the 80th anniversary of the end of World War II, during which President Vladimir V. Putin welcomed President Xi Jinping of China and other foreign dignitaries to Moscow for a military parade meant to project Russia’s power and Mr. Putin’s bid to reshape the global order on his terms.

The two events crystallized both the changing contours of the war in Ukraine and the broader geopolitical shift underway since Mr. Trump entered office. In just a few months, Mr. Trump has reversed core tenets of U.S. foreign policy, and is presiding over the weakening of the trans-Atlantic bond that helped set Europe on the path to peace after the cataclysm of World War II.

At the moment, Ukraine is caught between an emboldened Russia, buoyed by China, North Korea and Iran; and a Europe scrambling to fill the void left by the United States.