French President Emmanuel Macron and British Prime Minister Keir Starmer have separately held multiple calls with former US President Donald Trump and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky.
These efforts follow a tense meeting last Friday between the US and Ukrainian leaders in the Oval Office, which resulted in a suspension of Washington’s military aid to Kyiv.
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France and Britain, both nuclear powers, are working to create a peace plan that would first propose a temporary truce and later include broader security guarantees.
“We’re looking at putting this plan together in days, not weeks,” said a senior European diplomat. Another diplomat told Reuters that the goal is to ensure a smoother dialogue between Washington and Kyiv while reinforcing the message that Russia remains the aggressor.
If conditions allow, the plan could lead to new meetings in Washington between European leaders and Trump. However, it remains unclear whether Zelensky would be part of those discussions or if they would only involve the British and French leaders.
On Wednesday, French government spokesperson Sophie Primas suggested that Macron, Starmer, and Zelensky might visit Washington together, but the French presidency later clarified that no such visit is planned at this time.
Details of the peace plan have not been disclosed, but European diplomats say military officials are working to finalize its defense aspects within a week.
Zelensky – Bowed, But Not Beaten
One option being considered is a partial one-month truce, covering air and sea attacks as well as strikes on energy infrastructure but not ground combat. France, Britain, and a coalition of willing nations would support this effort.
Zelensky has expressed willingness to negotiate and back a temporary ceasefire and confirmed on Wednesday that Washington and Kyiv are already discussing the timing and location for the new round of talks.
In an address to the nation on Wednesday, March 5, President Emmanuel Macron said that the French were “legitimately worried” about the start of a “new era” after Trump began his second stint in the White House by reversing US policy on Ukraine and risking a historic rupture with Europe.
“I want to believe that the United States will stay by our side, but we have to be prepared for that not to be the case,” he said bluntly.
At the beginning of his second stint in the White House, Trump has made clear his desire to swiftly end the war caused by Russia’s 2022 full-scale invasion of Ukraine through direct negotiations with Moscow.
Macron warned the US President that “peace cannot be agreed at any cost” and there cannot be a ceasefire that is “too fragile”.
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