Britain and France aim for a new Ukrainian peace deal as Macron pushes for the initial one-month ceasefire

Britain and France will lead Europe’s desperate attempts to save hopes of peace in Ukraine and plan to include a proposed initial one-month truce with Russia, covering air, sea and infrastructure, French President Emmanuel Macron said.

British Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer said after a summit in London on Sunday that Europe will step in with Volodymyr Zelenskyy’s intermediary to try to “stop the fight” after Ukrainian leader and U.S. President Donald Trump’s explosiveness in the Oval Office.

Starmer and Macron are promoting the deal they hope they hope Trump will provide us with cover for deployed European “Willing Alliance” forces to ensure any ceasefire in Ukraine.

Starmer said Europe “has to do heavy work”, but “the effort must have strong support from us”.

Macron told Le Figaro that he and Starmer were presenting new details that lasted for a month “on the air, offshore and energy infrastructure.”

Macron added that this approach would have the advantage of validating Russian intentions and would be easier than overseeing the armistice on the ground across the frontline. “If the fire is ceased, it will be difficult to verify whether the front is respected.”

Downing Street said Stamue wanted to “motivate” to propose a peace plan, but the Prime Minister’s allies said a month’s truce was not “the British plan.”

“There are a variety of options on the table, but further discussions are to be conducted with US and European partners, but a truce has not yet been agreed to.”

British Armed Forces Minister Luke Pollard warned against stopping in Ukraine, which could reorganize Russia.

“What is very worrying that Ukrainians encounter is that any brief pause in the war will only give the Russians time to re-arm, regroup and restart,” Pollard told Sky News.

The second key part of the plan will involve Zelenskyy signing a proposed agreement to provide the United States with a portion of revenue from some of Ukraine’s mineral reserves, thus providing Washington with the economic benefit of a peaceful solution. Trump hopes Zelenskyy signs a deal in Washington last Friday.

British Ambassador to Washington, Lord Peter Mandelson urged Zelenskyy to sign the deal and called on Ukraine and all European leaders to give “clear support for the initiative President Trump is taking” to promote peace.

In another sign of the latest British thinking, Mandelson told ABC: “Ukraine should first work on a ceasefire and disobey the Russians’ compliance.”

Many European countries are reluctant to send troops to Ukraine as part of a mission led by Britain and France. So far, Germany, Spain and Poland have not joined the willing alliance.

“Many countries said they want to be part of the plan we are working on today,” Starmer said, but refused to name it.

He urged more countries to join peacekeeping efforts to convince Trump that Europe is serious. “I’m very strong, unless someone moves forward, we’re going to stay in the same position as we are,” Starmer said. “This is not a time to have more conversations. Now is the time to take action and step up leadership.”

He said the Lancaster House Summit in central London involved 19 international leaders and was held at a “crossroads in history.”

European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen insists on stepping up efforts, saying Ukraine must become a “steel porcupine that cannot be eliminated for potential invaders”.

Starmer and Macron were attempts by European leaders to convince Trump to provide American security assurances for any peaceful and stable force, but have so far been unsuccessful.

Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni has strong ties with Trump and is seen as another key player in the European capital.

The three leaders plan to agree to a blueprint for peace with Zelenskyy and then submit it to the White House to avoid the toxic relationship between the Ukrainian president and Trump.

“We have agreed that Britain, France and others will work with Ukraine to develop plans to stop the fight and then discuss those plans with the United States,” Starmer said.

Zelenskyy spoke after Sunday’s summit, refusing to call for Ukraine to agree to an immediate ceasefire, saying it would be a “failure for everyone” without the detailed security assurance.

Starmer’s allies insist that Zelenskyy was not eliminated, and the British Prime Minister said Kiev and Moscow would decide to draw any “line” of the ceasefire in any ceasefire.

But Europe will lead to discuss future security assurances with Trump.

Trump insists that the presence of U.S. companies and workers in Ukraine (using the proposed mineral agreement) is enough to prevent Russian President Vladimir Putin from launching another attack on his neighbor.

But one Starmer Ally said that the U.S. military defender is still needed: “If the U.S. has economic interests, that certainly increases their interest in what will happen next. But we don’t think it’s a replacement.”

Starmer said the UK and U.S. teams are discussing ways Trump can help get any peace deal, although the president has been making it clear that he believes it is the responsibility of European countries.

NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte said that when he left the summit, a “debate ongoing” over whether the United States would help with security guarantees.

Participants at the London Summit include outgoing German Chancellor Olaf Scholz, Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk, Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan.

Starmer, Macron and Meloni made it clear that while Europe needs to do more to defend itself, Ukraine’s path to peace must travel through the White House in the end.

The London Summit is also an opportunity for leaders to express their support to Zelenskyy after the Oval Office’s brutal verbal attack on him by Trump and U.S. Vice President JD Vance.

Zelenskyy hugged Starmer on the steps of Downing Street on Saturday, and on Sunday helicoptered off the top of the hill to meet King Charles at the Sandlingham House, retreating in the countryside of Monarch.

Meanwhile, Starmer announced that it would provide £1.6 billion in UK export margin to provide more than 5,000 air defense missiles to Ukraine manufactured in Belfast.