France floats 1-month Ukraine truce; more plans on table: UK

LONDON: Britain said on Monday there were several possible proposals on the table for a possible Ukraine ceasefire, after France floated a proposal for a month-long initial truce that could pave the way for peace talks. European countries, led by Britain and France, are looking at options for a peace proposal including Ukraine after last week's Oval Office rupture between US President Trump and Ukrainian President Zelensky. "There are clearly a number of options on the table," PM Keir Starmer's spokesman said. "I'm just not getting into a running commentary on the options."

White House national security adviser Mike Waltz, when asked about the weekend activities of Europe rallying around Zelensky, told reporters: "So, we welcome Europe stepping up for Europe, but they have to also invest in the capabilities to do so."

France, Britain and potentially other European countries have offered to send troops to Ukraine in the event of a ceasefire, but say they would want support from the US, a proposal referred to as a "backstop".

Zelensky says a ceasefire must come with explicit security guarantees from the West to ensure Russia, which invaded Ukraine three years ago, does not attack again. Trump has refused to give any such guarantees.

Starmer hosted a summit of European leaders in London on Sunday and said European leaders had agreed to draw up a Ukraine peace plan to present to the US. In an interview given on his way to the summit, French President Macron raised the possibility of a one-month ceasefire, although so far there has been no public endorsement from other allies.

"Such a truce on air, sea and energy infrastructure would allow us to determine whether Russian President Putin is acting in good faith when he commits to a truce," French foreign minister Jean-Noel Barrot said of Macron's proposal. "And that's when real peace negotiations could start." European ground troops would only be deployed to Ukraine in a second phase, Macron said in the interview published in Le Figaro. Zelensky, asked if he was aware of the plan mentioned by Macron, told reporters in London: "I'm aware of everything." European countries are adjusting to what some leaders describe as the biggest policy reversal since WWII from Washington, especially after Friday's bust-up when Zelensky left the White House abruptly after a dressing down in front of cameras by Trump and US vice-president JD Vance.

Speaking to Fox News, Waltz said Zelensky should apologise. "What we need to hear from President Zelensky is that he has regret for what happened, he's ready to sign this minerals deal and that he's ready to engage in peace talks," he said. "We'll see what happens in the next 48 hours, but we are certainly looking to move forward in a positive way."

Friedrich Merz, the conservative due to become Germany's chancellor, suggested Friday's Oval Office argument was a trap set in advance for the Ukrainian president. "It was not a spontaneous reaction to interventions by Zelensky, but obviously a manufactured escalation," he said. "We must now show that we are in a position to act independently in Europe," he said.

Kremlin: Kyiv needs to be forced to make peace

The Kremlin said Monday that someone would have to force Zelensky to make peace. "What happened at the White House on Friday, of course, demonstrated how difficult it will be to reach a settlement trajectory around Ukraine," Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said. "The Kyiv regime and Zelensky do not want peace. They want the war to continue... Someone has to make Zelensky want peace. If Europeans can do it, they should be honoured and praised."

(This is a Reuters story)