UK says several Ukraine truce options on table after France floats plan

The Ukrainian president stresses that Kyiv volition not beryllium forced into a ceasefire without information guarantees.

The United Kingdom has said determination are respective proposals for a imaginable Ukraine ceasefire aft French President Emmanuel Macron projected a constricted archetypal one-month truce, arsenic Kyiv reiterated its request for information guarantees arsenic portion of immoderate agreement.

European countries, led by the UK and France, are looking astatine options for a connection to halt Russia’s warfare connected Ukraine aft past week’s Oval Office rupture betwixt US President Donald Trump and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy.

British Prime Minister Keir Starmer hosted a acme of European leaders successful London connected Sunday and said they had agreed to gully up a Ukraine bid program to contiguous to the US.

In an interrogation fixed connected his mode to the summit, Macron raised the anticipation of a one-month ceasefire, though truthful acold determination has been nary nationalist endorsement from different allies.

“Such a truce connected air, oversea and vigor infrastructure would let america to find whether Russian President Vladimir Putin is acting successful bully religion erstwhile helium commits to a truce,” French Foreign Minister Jean-Noel Barrot said of Macron’s proposal.

“And that’s erstwhile existent bid negotiations could start.”

Starmer’s spokesperson connected Monday said determination are “clearly a fig of options” connected the table.

“I’m conscionable not getting into a moving commentary connected the options,” helium added.

UK Defence Minister Luke Pollard told Times Radio that nary statement has been made connected “what a truce looks like”.

“But we are moving with France and European allies for a lasting peace,” Pollard said.

Asked if helium was alert of the program raised by Macron, Zelenskyy said: “I’m alert of everything.”

In comments connected Monday, Zelenskyy accused Russia of not being superior astir bid and said pugnacious information guarantees were the lone mode to extremity much than 3 years of struggle successful Ukraine.

He called for “effective information guarantees that volition marque it intolerable for Russian aggression to return” aft predicting that Moscow would interruption immoderate deal.

“Anyone who wants to negociate does not deliberately deed radical with ballistic missiles,” helium said successful his statement.

Russia, which launched a full-scale penetration successful February 2022, dismissed the Ukraine leader’s comments, accusing him of not wanting peace, echoing US criticisms aft Zelenskyy was shouted down successful the White House past week.

“What happened astatine the White House connected Friday, of course, demonstrated however hard it volition beryllium to scope a colony trajectory astir Ukraine,” Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov said.

“The Kyiv authorities and Zelenskyy bash not privation peace. They privation the warfare to continue. It is precise important that idiosyncratic forces Zelenskyy himself to alteration his position. Someone has to marque Zelenskyy privation peace. If the Europeans tin bash it, they should beryllium honoured and praised.”

European countries are adjusting to what immoderate leaders picture arsenic the biggest argumentation reversal since World War II from Washington – particularly aft Friday’s bust-up, erstwhile Zelenskyy near the White House abruptly aft a dressing down successful beforehand of cameras by Trump and US Vice President JD Vance.

The Ukrainian person had been successful Washington to motion a woody to springiness the United States entree to Ukrainian minerals, but near without signing it.

Speaking to Fox News, US National Security Advisor Mike Waltz said Zelenskyy should apologise.

“What we request to perceive from President Zelenskiy is that helium has regret for what happened, he’s acceptable to motion this minerals woody and that he’s acceptable to prosecute successful bid talks,” Waltz said.

“I don’t deliberation that’s excessively overmuch to ask. We’ll spot what happens successful the adjacent 48 hours, but we are surely looking to determination guardant successful a affirmative way.”

European leaders person agreed they indispensable walk much connected defence to amusement Trump the continent tin support itself. The European Union is owed to clasp an exigency acme connected Thursday.

Reporting from the Ukrainian superior Kyiv, Al Jazeera’s Charles Stratford said that Ukrainians are bracing for uncertain times ahead.

“They would person been buoyed by the level of enactment expressed by European leaders successful London yesterday, but they are besides alert determination are a full batch of hurdles yet that request to beryllium flooded earlier we spot thing existent and factual successful presumption of stopping the warring successful Ukraine,” Stratford said.

“It’s each cardinal connected whether the US volition hold to information guarantees some astir this program that Europe has and with respect to the minerals woody arsenic well,” helium added.

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Al Jazeera and quality agencies