Following France’s suggestion for a one-month initial truce that may serve as a springboard for peace negotiations, the United Kingdom has stated that a number of potential options for a potential ceasefire in Ukraine are on the table, reports RTE.
“There are clearly a number of options on the table. I’m just not getting into a running commentary on the options,” stated the spokesperson for Prime Minister Keir Starmer.
Following the rift between US President Donald Trump and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky in the Oval Office last week, European nations, led by Britain and France, are considering alternatives for a peace plan that includes Ukraine, reports RTE.
European leaders decided to draft a peace plan for Ukraine to submit to the United States, according to Mr. Starmer, who chaired a summit of European leaders in London on Sunday.
French President Emmanuel Macron suggested a one-month truce in an interview on his route to the meeting, but other allies have not publicly endorsed the idea as of yet, reports RTE.
When asked whether he was aware of the proposal for a month-long truce that Mr. Macron had indicated, Mr. Zelensky responded to reporters in London by saying, “I’m aware of everything.”
In the case of a truce, France, Britain, and maybe other European nations have volunteered to send soldiers to Ukraine; but, they have stated that they would prefer some kind of “backstop” assistance from the United States.
Mr. Zelensky asserts that in order to protect Russia, which invaded Ukraine three years ago, a ceasefire must be accompanied by clear security assurances from the West, reports RTE.
Following Friday’s bust-up, in which Mr. Zelensky suddenly fled the White House following a dressing-down in front of cameras by Mr. Trump and Vice President JD Vance, European nations are acclimating to what some leaders refer to as the largest policy reversal from Washington since World War Two.
Friedrich Merz, the conservative who won the most votes in an election a week ago and is expected to become Germany’s chancellor, said Friday’s debate for the Oval Office was a prearranged ruse against the Ukrainian leader, reports RTE.
“It was not a spontaneous reaction to interventions by Mr Zelensky, but obviously a manufactured escalation,” he said, reports RTE.
“We must now show that we are in a position to act independently in Europe,” he said, reports RTE.
In private, European leaders have been incensed about what they see to be a betrayal of Ukraine, which had previously received strong U.S. backing during Russia’s invasion.
Following the outburst, a senior official said: “Donald Trump must decide whether he wants to identify as the head of an extortion gang or the leader of the free world. Europe is not interested in the latter.
However, Europeans are still making a lot of effort to maintain US support. Britain’s ambassador to the US, Peter Mandelson, stated that Mr. Trump’s plan to stop the war was “the only show in town” and that Ukrainian-US ties needed to be restarted, reports RTE.
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