On March 2, 2025, French President Emmanuel Macron and British Prime Minister Keir Starmer announced the development of a joint peace plan aimed at achieving a ceasefire in Ukraine, which they intend to present to the United States.
Discussions leading up to this announcement surfaced after public tensions arose between Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky and former US President Donald Trump, highlighting the urgent diplomatic efforts needed to stabilize the situation.
According to Le Figaro, Macron believes achieving complete cessation of hostilities will be challenging, and he remains skeptical about any potential ceasefire agreement between Washington and Moscow, suspecting President Vladimir Putin of using demilitarization as a strategy to humiliate Ukraine.
The proposed peace initiative by the UK and France suggests implementing various temporary ceasefires covering air, sea, and energy infrastructure for one month, with close monitoring to enforce compliance. Macron stated, "At the negotiating table in London, we are all determined to take measures to bring about strong and lasting peace in Ukraine and to secure our collective safety."
Starmer communicated his plan during the summit of European leaders held in London, where he indicated the objective of facilitating discussions between Zelensky and Trump to bridge the recent gap.
His primary goal emerged as acting "as a bridge" between the two leaders, as tensions escalated after Zelensky's criticism of Trump. Starmer remarked, "We must find ways to work together. After three years of bloody conflict, we need to achieve durable peace."
During discussions, Starmer emphasized the need for security guarantees from the US as non-negotiable precursors to any ceasefire agreement. Trump’s disinclination to agree to specific containment measures for Russia, should it violate any potential agreements, posed significant hurdles.
Starmer voiced confidence about Trump's intentions for peace, asserting, "No one wants to see such scenes" of discord among the leaders. He expressed optimism for working together to create stability, recognizing, "I understand well we need European security guarantees to support Ukraine."
Despite anticipations of European peacekeepers potentially being deployed to Ukraine under the auspices of NATO and EU support, Russia has strongly opposed the idea. Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov characterized this notion as arrogant, declaring it would not eliminate the root causes of the crisis. He stated, "The discussion on peacekeepers is the West's unyielding support for Ukraine against Russia."
The London summit involved the leaders of multiple nations, including Germany's Chancellor Olaf Scholz and Canada's Prime Minister Justin Trudeau. Leading up to the summit, Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk reiterated unwavering support for Ukraine without any preconditions, inviting Germany, France, and possibly one or two other nations to join their peace plan initiative.
Starmer, during interviews, clarified, "Britain, along with France, will work with Ukraine on the ceasefire plan before we discuss this proposal with the United States." He also highlighted the necessity for all significant parties involved to solidify their defense expenditures as new realities arise amid the conflict.
The discussions also touched on the need for the US to secure and strengthen its relationship with Ukraine, aiming to repair any damage done through diplomatic channels. Starmer emphasized the importance of security for Ukraine, stating, "We need to establish and negotiate the line of demarcation between Ukraine and Russia, protected under any settlement conditions."
This coalition of European leaders is focusing on ensuring diplomatic strategies remain united and do not fall apart amid challenges. Starmer’s remarks about the recent rift between Zelensky and Trump indicated the urgency of actionable peace plans, stating, "Both sides must see the parallel efforts being made to support Ukraine. A credible response is now needed to usher Ukraine back to normalcy."
Meanwhile, as anticipation builds for the outcomes of European cooperation, the stage awaits responses from the US, which might engage with the collaborative peace efforts initiated by the Britain-France coalition.