New Ceasefire Proposal for Ukraine by Macron and Starmer

The President of France, Emmanuel Macron, and the Prime Minister of the UK, Keir Starmer, have proposed a month-long ceasefire in Ukraine. President Volodymyr Zelensky confirmed he is aware of this initiative.

Source: Macron spoke in an interview with Le Figaro, as reported by Le Parisien. Zelensky commented to journalists before departing from the UK, according to BBC.

Details: After the leaders' summit in London, Macron stated that he and Starmer propose a ceasefire "in the air, at sea, and in energy infrastructure" for a duration of one month.

"It is important to note that the frontline today is equivalent to the line from Paris to Budapest. It will be very difficult to verify adherence to this frontline during a ceasefire," he said.

Macron also explained that the ceasefire would be the first step, with the deployment of ground forces to ensure peace to follow.

Macron's statement: "In the coming weeks, there will be no European troops on Ukrainian soil. The question is how we will utilize this time to try to achieve a feasible ceasefire, with negotiations lasting several weeks, and then, after signing peace, deployment".

Additional details: Macron believes Europeans should increase their defense budgets.

"Over the past three years, the Russians have spent 10% of their GDP on defense. Therefore, we must prepare for the future, aiming for around 3% or 3.5% of GDP," he stated.

Le Parisien notes that France currently allocates 2% of its resources to defense, significantly outpacing its European neighbors.

Meanwhile, President Volodymyr Zelensky commented to journalists before his departure from the UK, confirming he is aware of Macron and Starmer's initiative.

When asked if he knows about this plan, Zelensky replied: "I know everything".