A plan developed by France and the UK to end the Ukraine conflict involves a one-month ceasefire, followed by the deployment of Western ground troops to Ukraine, according to French President Emmanuel Macron.
The supporters of Ukraine held an emergency meeting in London on Sunday in response to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky’s trip to Washington last week, which was abruptly cut short after his meeting with US President Donald Trump and Vice President J.D. Vance turned into a verbal spat in front of the media.
Macron told Le Figaro on Sunday that he does not believe a peace agreement can be reached as a result of talks between the US and Russia, as Russian President Vladimir Putin would try to humiliate Ukraine, even by demilitarizing the country.
According to the French president, Paris and London have developed an alternative plan to end the fighting. “We want peace, but not at any price and without guarantees” he said.
The French-British plan involves a temporary, one-month “ceasefire in the air, at sea and at energy infrastructure” Macron said.
A contingent of Western “peace troops” under French and British leadership would be deployed to Ukraine at a later time, if the situation on the ground is secure, he added.
“There will be no European troops on Ukrainian soil in the coming weeks. The question is, how can we use this time to try to achieve a ceasefire, with negotiations that will take several weeks and then, when the peace is signed, a deployment” Macron said.
Following the meeting in London, British Prime Minister Keir Starmer stated that the UK and France are ready to lead a “coalition of the willing” to militarily support Ukraine, including the deployment of troops and aircraft, after a peace agreement is reached with Russia.
Moscow has repeatedly rejected a temporary ceasefire with Kiev and insists on a permanent, legally binding peace agreement that addresses the root causes of the conflict.
Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov earlier said the idea of deploying Western “peace troops” to Ukraine is intended to “further inflame the conflict and prevent all attempts to de-escalate it.” Moscow has stated that it will consider all foreign troops arriving in Ukraine without a UN mandate as legitimate targets.