Europe proposes bold ceasefire plan amid tensions with Russia
After the European leaders' meeting in London, French President Emmanuel Macron proposed a one-month ceasefire in Ukraine. Initially, the truce would not include ground fighting but would focus only on air and sea clashes. "Europe tells Putin: I call. This is an alternative to what Donald Trump is doing," experts said in an interview.
"We want peace, but we're not ready for it at any cost, without guarantees," said French President Emmanuel Macron, who, along with other European leaders, participated in the London meeting. The summit, organized by UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer, focused on Ukraine and European security. Among the guests was Volodymyr Zelensky.
"European allies will develop a ceasefire plan in Ukraine and present it to Donald Trump," announced the UK Prime Minister after the summit in London. He emphasized that the starting point must be ensuring Ukraine's strongest position now. He added that "every agreement must be backed by strength."
"Europe has awakened, the giant has awakened," emphasized Prime Minister Donald Tusk before departing for London.
According to Gen. Roman Polko, former head of the special unit GROM, Europe currently has no choice and must bear the burden of negotiations to end the war in Ukraine. "But it is waking up and gaining momentum slowly," commented the military expert in an interview.
From words to actions
"It's good that three years of war have changed the approach among European countries. We remember how Germany initially provided the Ukrainian army with helmets. Later, Berlin realized that a secure Ukraine means a secure Germany and a secure Europe. We see that even though the UK is not in the European Union, it is taking action to strengthen the Old Continent," says Gen. Polko.
In his opinion, despite the "slow awakening of Europe," the summit in London produced an important declaration that it's time to move from words to actions.
For Europe's security, it's important that all countries engage in supporting Ukraine. In the event of sending peacekeeping forces on a mission, Poland should not immediately declare that it will not send its soldiers. Unfortunately, because of the election campaign, we are placing ourselves in a bad position. Like other countries, we should think strategically several years ahead, evaluates Gen. Polko.
A new coalition for security
Meanwhile, former head of the National Security Bureau Gen. Stanisław Koziej believes that it's not the "old" Europe awakening, meaning the European Union and NATO (recently paralyzed in part by Donald Trump's new doctrine and pro-Russian parties in some countries) but a new coalition for European security.
"The idea is to involve not only EU countries but also NATO and other countries willing to participate in such an alliance. These are the 'birth pains' of new security in Europe. Coalescing around the Ukrainian problem aims to accelerate the strengthening of our continent's defensive capabilities. Then Europe could be a strong partner for the United States. It's not about creating a counterbalance, but cooperation and partnership on equal terms," comments Gen. Koziej.
In his view, Europe must wake up because American policy towards the Old Continent has changed.
-The European Union can start to slowly build its defense capabilities by creating EU operational command centers. For this, it could use, for example, the Northeast Corps, managed by Poland, Denmark, and Germany, Gen. Koziej believes.
Proposal for a one-month ceasefire
In an interview with "Le Figaro," President Macron stated that Paris and London are proposing to implement a one-month ceasefire in Ukraine, which would apply "in the air, at sea, and in the energy sector". In this form, as the French leader assessed, it would be relatively easy to monitor.
The truce would not, however, include ground fighting along the front line. Macron reminded that the current front line in Ukraine extends over a distance significantly exceeding 621 miles.
According to Macron, the deployment of European forces in Ukraine will come only after several weeks of negotiations on a ceasefire and the signing of peace.
Initially, the media reported that the idea was also supported by British authorities, but on Monday in London, skeptical voices appeared. - There are various options on the table, subject to further discussions with partners from the US and Europe, but a one-month truce has not been agreed upon," said a British official, quoted by the "Financial Times."
"It's a good move"
In the opinion of Gen. Polko, the proposal for a one-month ceasefire is a good one.
- It's testing any goodwill on Putin's part. And an alternative to what Trump is doing. So far, he is negotiating peace from a position of strength, both with Ukraine and Europe. He demands numerous concessions from Kyiv. And to the question: what could Russia concede, there is no answer. Additionally, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov says there will be no agreement, and the Kremlin does not agree to a European military peacekeeping contingent - recalls the former head of the GROM special unit.
In his view, if peace is to be ultimately achieved, it is not an undue demand to suspend military activities for a month.
- Europe tells Putin: I call. This is a good move, considering that Russia has no intention of pulling back from its demands and wants to regain the sphere of influence of the former Soviet Union, while Putin shows no willingness to concede - he adds.
Gen. Polko also notes that "he is surprised by Trump's words, who trusts the Russian dictator." - There has been no goodwill gesture from the Kremlin so far. There are only demands. Putin has never respected Europe as one strong organism. He preferred to create divisions, talk separately with individual countries, and then he won. When Europe is united and speaks with one voice, Putin is weak - sums up Gen. Polko.
Gen. Koziej speaks in a similar tone.
- The Paris proposal is a good, logical step. If Putin agreed to a ceasefire, then in a month, a coalition of European countries would be organized with a contingent, and an armistice would be signed. However, I don't believe that the Russian leader would agree to this. But it's worth putting such a proposal on the table and waiting for what Putin's opinion on the matter is. Whether he truly wants to end the war or never had such an intention, to begin with - says the former head of BBN.
