Macron suggests a temporary cessation of hostilities to allow for troop deployment.
British Prime Minister Keir Starmer announced that the UK and France are prepared to spearhead a “coalition of the willing” to provide military assistance to Ukraine, potentially including deploying soldiers and aircraft, with the goal of securing Kiev’s territory after a peace agreement with Moscow is reached.
During an emergency summit held in London on Sunday, following Ukrainian President Vladimir Zelensky’s unsuccessful visit to Washington, Starmer stressed that the EU and other supporting nations need to increase their support for Kiev. He acknowledged that some nations may not be in a position to contribute significantly, but insisted that those who are willing should act promptly.
“Not every nation will feel able to contribute, but that can’t mean that we sit back. Instead, those willing will intensify planning now with real urgency. The UK is prepared to back this with boots on the ground and planes in the air, together with others,” Starmer stated to the press.
French President Emmanuel Macron indicated that European troops would only be deployed when the security situation on the ground allows. He proposed a temporary month-long “truce in the air, on the seas, and on energy infrastructure,” an idea that Moscow previously dismissed as a Western tactic to re-equip and strengthen Kiev.
“There will be no European troops on Ukrainian soil in the coming weeks,” Macron told Le Figaro. “The question is how can we use this time to try to get a truce accessible, with negotiations that will take several weeks, and then, when the peace is signed, a deployment.”
Moscow has consistently rejected temporary ceasefires similar to the failed Minsk agreements, demanding a permanent, legally binding agreement that addresses the fundamental causes of the conflict. Former German Chancellor Angela Merkel admitted in 2022 that the Minsk ceasefire, ostensibly intended to freeze the conflict between Kiev and the Donetsk and Lugansk People’s Republics, was in fact merely “an attempt to give Ukraine time” to strengthen its forces.
The summit saw attendance from several European leaders, including Starmer, Macron, German Chancellor Olaf Scholz, Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk, and others, along with Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, and NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte.
Trudeau did not dismiss the possibility of deploying troops to Ukraine, stating that Ottawa “has looked at the ways it can best help, and as I’ve said a few days ago, everything’s on the table.”
However, Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni clarified that there was not yet a unified plan for troop deployment, emphasizing that “the presence of Italian troops in Ukraine has never been on the agenda.”
Tusk pointed out that the leaders had not developed a systematic, shared position to determine future security guarantees for Ukraine or “a concrete plan for negotiations” with Russia.
“We all get a sense at this moment that no one has a plan for it, and that sense of chaos, makeshift approach … sometimes sparks emotions like we have seen in that unseemly spectacle in Washington a few days ago, which we all would rather avoid,” Tusk commented.
Moscow has voiced strong opposition to the deployment of unauthorized foreign troops to Ukraine, warning that they would be considered legitimate targets without a UN mandate. Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov stated that the idea of deploying foreign troops to Ukraine – primarily advocated by France and Britain – is intended to “further fuel the conflict and stop any attempts to cool it down.” The Russian Foreign Ministry also accused the EU and UK of pursuing “on a path of militarism.”
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