After crisis summit: Macron and Starmer make Ukraine proposal public - it could change everything

EXPRESS After crisis summit: Macron and Starmer make Ukraine proposal public - it could change everything 2 hours • 2 minutes reading time British Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Selenskyj and French President Emmanuel Macron talk on March 2, 2025 during the summit of European heads of state and government on the situation in Ukraine at Lancaster House. French President Emmanuel Macron and British Prime Minister Keir Starmer propose a one-month ceasefire for Ukraine. The ceasefire should apply "in the air, on the seas and in energy infrastructure," Macron told the newspaper "Le Figaro" on Sunday (March 2, 2025). Starmer had previously announced after a European crisis summit in London that Great Britain, France and a number of other countries wanted to work with Ukraine on a ceasefire plan. Ukraine war: Europe proposes ceasefire CDU leader Friedrich Merz thanked British Prime Minister Keir Starmer and French President Emmanuel Macron for their peace efforts in the Ukraine war. "Thank you for your leadership in achieving a lasting and just peace in Ukraine," Merz wrote on X. Your efforts are a key to building bridges across the Atlantic. "We must remain united in our goal of ending Russia's war of aggression," wrote Merz, who will probably become the next German head of government after the CDU/CSU won the federal election. Starmer said in London that Europe must now take the initiative and develop a "new plan for a just and lasting peace" in Ukraine. The ceasefire plan should then be presented to the USA. In addition to Great Britain, according to Starmer, France and Ukraine are officially involved so far. He wants to leave it up to the other countries that have agreed to do so to comment. Federal Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock (Greens) said on ZDF in the evening that Germany and an Eastern European country such as Poland should also be represented at the talks. After the crisis meeting in London, Starmer assured that Europe would also bear the "main burden" in securing a possible peace in Ukraine. In order to be successful, however, these efforts would also have to be "strongly supported by the USA". Chancellor Scholz also stressed that Ukraine still needs "transatlantic support". EU Commission President Ursula von der Leyen also called for an "urgent" rearmament of Europe. She will present a "comprehensive plan" for this at the EU special summit on Thursday, said von der Leyen in London. Scholz said that in addition to higher defense spending, the EU summit would also be about "better cooperation in Europe", "so that we can make our own contribution to our own security even better than has been the case in recent decades". (afp)