Britain's Prime Minister Keir Starmer, center, Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, left, and France's President Emmanuel Macron meet during the European leaders' summit to discuss Ukraine, hosted by Britain's Prime Minister Keir Starmer, at Lancaster House, London, Mar 2, 2025. (AP photo)
French President Emmanuel Macron says his country and the UK are pushing for a one-month ceasefire in Ukraine, as Europe tries to shift peace negotiations away from US control.
In an interview with France's Le Figaro newspaper, Macron said on Sunday the proposed ceasefire will include operations in the air and at sea, as well as energy infrastructure.
He added that such a truce, at least at its beginning, would not cover ground fighting.
Macron said no troops will be deployed to Ukraine in the coming weeks, and European ground forces will only be deployed in the second phase of the plan.
Peacekeepers would be deployed at a later date, he said, adding: "There won't be European troops on Ukrainian soil in the coming weeks."
He suggested that European countries should raise their defense spending to between 3 and 3.5 percent of GDP to respond to Washington's shifting priorities.
"For three years, the Russians have spent 10 percent of their GDP on defense," he told the paper. "So we have to prepare for what's next."
Macron was speaking ahead of a crisis meeting with European leaders, convened by British Prime Minister Keir Starmer, in London.
The meeting sought to advance efforts made to draw up a Ukraine peace plan.
In a separate interview with Milan's Il Foglio newspaper, Macron said that Europe needed a "strong" Italy to help resolve the conflict in Ukraine.
Italy's Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni dismissed the prospect of her country contributing to any peacekeeping force in Ukraine, saying it was "never on the agenda."
"We need Italy, a strong Italy which works side-by-side with France, with Germany, in the concert of great nations," Macron said.
Meanwhile, the British prime minister said on Sunday that the UK and France will work with Ukraine to draw up the new ceasefire plan which will then be presented to US President Donald Trump for approval.
Starmer described the fresh initiative as "an important step forward" after the ties between Kiev and Washington were severely strained during Friday's public confrontation between the Ukrainian and US presidents.
Starmer has positioned himself as a diplomatic bridge between Europe and the US as efforts to initiate talks over Ukraine's future intensify.
While several European leaders have rallied around Zelensky following Friday's confrontation in the Oval Office, Starmer had been more cautious, speaking with both Zelensky and Trump in the immediate aftermath of their bust-up.
He said on Sunday that he trusted both Zelensky and Trump and insisted that the relationship between the US and the UK continues to be the "closest relationship of any two countries in the world."
