France and Britain Proposed a Ceasefire for Ukraine, but with Restrictions
France and Britain have proposed a one-month ceasefire in Ukraine, but without halting ground combat. Macron explained why this can be controlled.
Photo: President Of Ukraine, CC0 1.0
French President Emmanuel Macron announced that Paris and London are proposing a partial ceasefire between Russia and Ukraine for one month, as reported by Le Figaro.
However, the agreement will not apply to ground combat but will cover air, naval, and energy domains.
Macron stated that this format allows for monitoring compliance, as the front line is too vast to ensure full adherence to a ceasefire.
Additionally, the French president hinted that a second phase of the initiative could involve the deployment of European troops to Ukraine. This scenario is not currently under discussion but may become part of a long-term strategy following peace negotiations.
According to Macron, the proposed plan enables Europe to participate in conflict resolution without leaving the negotiation process solely in the hands of Donald Trump and Vladimir Putin.
The French leader also urged the EU to increase defense spending, reminding that Russia allocates 10% of its GDP for military purposes. Macron proposed setting a target level of European defense funding at 3-3.5% of GDP, with up to €200 billion allocated for this purpose.
Macron’s statement came ahead of his trip to London, where a summit of European leaders was held at the initiative of UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer. The summit aimed to advance efforts toward a peaceful resolution of the conflict.
Earlier, it was reported that the British Prime Minister and the German Chancellor held a meeting at the Chequers residence near London, where they agreed on new measures to support Ukraine, strengthen European defense, migration policy, and cooperation with the EU.
It was also revealed that during his visit to London, Zelenskyy met with Starmer to discuss support for Ukraine. Britain will allocate £2.6 billion for defense using frozen Russian assets.