Britain said on Monday that several proposals were on the table for a possible ceasefire in Ukraine, after France put forward a proposal for a month-long initial ceasefire that could pave the way for peace talks.
“It is clear that a number of options are on the table. I am not going to comment on the options at this stage,” a spokesman for Prime Minister Keir Starmer told reporters.
European countries, led by Britain and France, are considering options for a peace proposal including Ukraine after last week’s Oval Office spat between US President Donald Trump and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky.
Starmer hosted a summit of European leaders in London on Sunday and said the leaders had agreed to draw up a peace plan for Ukraine to present to the United States.
In an interview on the way to the summit, French President Emmanuel Macron raised the possibility of a month-long ceasefire, although there has so far been no public support from other allies.
“Such a ceasefire to preserve air, sea and energy infrastructure would allow us to determine whether Russian President Vladimir Putin is acting in good faith when he commits to a ceasefire. And then real peace talks could begin,” French Foreign Minister Jean-Noel Barrot said on Monday of Macron’s proposal.
Asked if he was aware of the plan for a month-long truce mentioned by Macron, Zelensky told reporters in London: “I am aware of everything.”
France, Britain and potentially other European countries have offered to send troops to Ukraine in the event of a ceasefire, but say they would like some form of support from the United States, a proposal called a “backstop.”
Zelensky has argued that a ceasefire must come with explicit security guarantees from the West to ensure that Russia, which invaded Ukraine three years ago and holds about 20 percent of its territory, does not invade again.
Trump has refused to provide such guarantees, Reuters reports.
