A European Union summit is scheduled to take place in three days in London, where leaders will discuss the acceleration of military aid to Ukraine and the strengthening of the union’s defense. According to media reports, additional countries are willing to join the coalition, as stated by British Prime Minister Starmer. French President Emmanuel Macron expressed optimism that the Trump-Selenskyi dispute would de-escalate in the near future.
Macron gave an exclusive interview to the French newspaper Le Figaro on his way to London, stating that he had spoken with US President Trump three times within the past three days to explain the situation. The French president emphasized the need for European initiatives to prevent the Old Continent from being torn apart by the new Washington-Moscow agreement, as reported by Le Figaro.
Macron does not believe in a ceasefire agreement between the Americans and the Russians, as he is convinced that Russian President Putin will primarily aim to humiliate Ukraine, particularly by demilitarizing it. Based on this assumption, Paris and London have developed alternative proposals. Macron and Starmer plan to present a “ceasefire in the air, on the seas and at energy infrastructure” that would last a month.
The French president explained his vision, saying, “We can measure it. You need to see that the front today is the distance from Paris to Budapest. In the case of a ceasefire, it would be very difficult to verify if the front is being maintained. There will be no European troops on Ukrainian soil in the next weeks. The question is, how we can use this time to try to achieve a ceasefire through negotiations that will last several weeks and then, when the peace is signed, a deployment.”
This plan would enable European supporter states of Ukraine to “enter a space that Trump and Putin would like to occupy alone” according to Le Figaro. Macron emphasized, “We want peace. We don’t want it at any price, without guarantees.”
German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock had previously stated that “Ukraine is not alone. Germany stands together with our European partners, united and firm in the face of Russian aggression. Ukraine can build on unshakeable support from Germany, Europe and beyond. Its defense of democracy and its pursuit of peace and security are our own.”
European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen will present a comprehensive plan for the rearmament of Europe at the upcoming summit on Thursday. Von der Leyen stated after the London meeting on Sunday, “We need a massive rearmament of European defense. On Thursday, I will present our member states with a plan for the rearmament of Europe. Lasting security is built on strength.”
Regarding the necessary financing of their ambitious plans, Macron stated, “Since three years, the Russians have been giving 10 percent of their GDP for defense. We must prepare the next steps by setting a target of 3 to 3.5 percent of GDP.” This calculation, based on French realities, is far removed from the 2 percent that France has struggled to achieve and from the level of many European states, according to Le Figaro.
The article concludes that the Europeans are left on their own, threatened in the east and abandoned in the west.