UK says several Ukraine truce options on table after France floats plan
The United Kingdom has said there are several proposals for a potential Ukraine ceasefire after French President Emmanuel Macron proposed a limited initial one-month truce, as Kyiv reiterated its need for security guarantees as part of any agreement.
European countries, led by the UK and France, are looking at options for a proposal to halt Russia’s war on Ukraine after last week’s Oval Office rupture between US President Donald Trump and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy.
British Prime Minister Keir Starmer hosted a summit of European leaders in London on Sunday and said they had agreed to draw up a Ukraine peace plan to present to the US.
In an interview given on his way to the summit, Macron raised the possibility of a one-month ceasefire, although so far there has been no public endorsement from other allies.
“Such a truce on air, sea and energy infrastructure would allow us to determine whether Russian President Vladimir Putin is acting in good faith when he commits to a truce,” French Foreign Minister Jean-Noel Barrot said of Macron’s proposal.
British Prime Minister Keir Starmer hosted a summit of European leaders in London on Sunday and said they had agreed to draw up a Ukraine peace plan to present to the US.
In an interview given on his way to the summit, Macron raised the possibility of a one-month ceasefire, although so far there has been no public endorsement from other allies.
“Such a truce on air, sea and energy infrastructure would allow us to determine whether Russian President Vladimir Putin is acting in good faith when he commits to a truce,” French Foreign Minister Jean-Noel Barrot said of Macron’s proposal.
In comments on Monday, Zelenskyy accused Russia of not being serious about peace and said tough security guarantees were the only way to end more than three years of conflict in Ukraine.
He called for “effective security guarantees that will make it impossible for Russian aggression to return” after predicting that Moscow would break any deal.
“Anyone who wants to negotiate does not deliberately hit people with ballistic missiles,” he said in his statement.
Russia, which launched a full-scale invasion in February 2022, dismissed the Ukraine leader’s comments, accusing him of not wanting peace, echoing US criticisms after Zelenskyy was shouted down in the White House last week.
“What happened at the White House on Friday, of course, demonstrated how difficult it will be to reach a settlement trajectory around Ukraine,” Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov said.
“The Kyiv regime and Zelenskyy do not want peace. They want the war to continue. It is very important that someone forces Zelenskyy himself to change his position. Someone has to make Zelenskyy want peace. If the Europeans can do it, they should be honoured and praised.”
