France and Britain are offering a one-month ceasefire in Ukraine "by air, by sea and in terms of energy infrastructure," French President Emmanuel Macron said in an interview with Le Figaro.
Earlier in the day, ahead of the Ukraine summit in London, British Prime Minister Keir Starmer announced that Paris and London were working on a "plan" to end the fighting. The advantage of such a ceasefire is that "we know how to define it, assess it," while the front is huge, "the equivalent of the Paris-Budapest line," the French president said.
Therefore, the cessation of hostilities will not initially refer to ground fighting. Because "in the event of a ceasefire, it would be very difficult to verify that the front line is respected", explains Emmanuel Macron.
The possibility of deploying European troops, in which France and Britain are ready to participate, will only come at a later stage, he continues.
"There will be no European troops on Ukrainian soil in the coming weeks," Emmanuel Macron told Figaro. "The question is how we use this time to try to reach an acceptable ceasefire, with negotiations that will take a few weeks, and then, once peace is signed, the deployment of forces will begin," he adds. "We want peace. We don't want it at any price, with no guarantees."
Paris and London are seeking U.S. assurances of Kiev's security if troops are sent to Ukraine after a peace deal is reached. The two European countries want the U.S. to provide some form of protection for those troops if they become a target of the Russians.
French officials say Paris and London are also seeking to renew dialogue between U.S. Presidents Donald Trump and Volodymyr Zelensky, who got into a heated argument Friday in the White House Oval Office.
"In the coming days we should be able to get things moving again," Emmanuel Macron said on his return from the London summit.
The French president also referred to next Thursday's meeting of European Union heads of state and government in Brussels, designed to prepare for a surge in European defence power as military spending increases.
"For three years the Russians have spent 10% of their GDP on defence. So we need to prepare for the future by setting a target of around 3% or 3.5% of GDP," he told the French daily.
The European Commission should propose plans to finance the war effort, whether it involves using existing funds or resorting to joint loans, Emmanuel Macron said.
"We probably need €200 billion initially to be able to invest," he told the newspaper.
Finally, the French president confirmed his willingness to open a dialogue with other European countries on the French nuclear deterrent.
"Those who wish to deepen dialogue with us can, if necessary, participate in deterrent exercises. These exchanges will contribute to the development of a genuine strategic culture among Europeans," he said, affirming that "it is the President of the Republic who takes the fully sovereign and always confidential decision to use nuclear weapons." I BGNES