It was a proposal that the Kremlin could neither outright reject nor accept, intended to force it into an awkward choice, revealing Russian President Vladimir Putin’s true appetite for his brutal war of choice.

It was a weekend of diplomatic announcements on the war in Ukraine. First, European leaders assembled in Kyiv on Saturday with President Volodymyr Zelenskyy to put pressure on Russian President Vladimir Putin for a ceasefire.

U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio discussed the "way forward for a ceasefire" in Ukraine with European counterparts, including the foreign ministers of Britain and France, and the EU's foreign policy chief,

France's president said Tuesday that he was in favor of imposing new sanctions on Russia if it refuses to agree to a ceasefire with Ukraine. "Our intention is to impose new sanctions against Russia in the coming days" if it does not implement a ceasefire, Emmanuel Macron said in an interview with broadcaster TF1.

President Trump is easing up his pressure on Ukraine and sending serious warnings to Russia as he renews calls for a 30-day ceasefire in the grinding war. Trump on Thursday repeated threats

Ukraine and its European allies called on Russian President Vladimir Putin to agree to a 30-day ceasefire by Monday or face a new wave of sanctions.

European leaders say Russia's failure to join a ceasefire offered by Ukraine would lead to further sanctions on Moscow.

For about 30 hours, the illusion of transatlantic unity over Ukraine was maintained. But US President Donald Trump’s response to a proposal from Russia’s Vladimir Putin shattered that.