BERLIN

Thousands of protesters took part in traditional Easter rallies in various German cities on Monday to call for peace in Ukraine.

In the northern German city of Hamburg, around 1,500 participants gathered for the “Prevent the Third World War” rally.

The Hamburger Forum, which organized the rally, called on the German government to stop arms deliveries to Ukraine, and step up diplomatic efforts to achieve an immediate cease-fire between Kyiv and Moscow.

In Frankfurt, around 4,000 people took to the streets, calling for peace negotiations to end the war in Ukraine.

Some of them carried placards urging Russia to immediately withdraw its troops from Ukraine.

Others marched with placards saying “stop the escalation,” “make peace, without weapons,” and “negotiate instead of shooting.”

Peace marches were also held in the cities of Dortmund, Marburg, Nurnberg, and Mannheim.