UK Prime Minister Sir Kier Starmer said ahead of a Lancaster House summit on Sunday that Britain and France will work to craft a Ukraine ceasefire deal that would be presented to the United States.
Echoing the language of former U.S. President George W. Bush, the Labour Party leader said that London and Paris will seek to build a “coalition of the willing” to enforce a peace in Ukraine.
The UK and France have already committed to sending troops into the former Eastern bloc nation to act as peacekeepers, but other European nations, notably Italy, Germany, and Poland, have so far shot down the idea.
“We’ve got to find those countries in Europe that are prepared to be a bit more forward-leaning,” Prime Minister Starmer said per The Telegraph.
“I’m not criticising anyone here, but rather than move at the pace of every single member, every single country in Europe, which would in the end be quite a slow pace, I do think we’ve got to probably get to a coalition of the willing now.”
The British leader said that he would work with French President Emmanuel Macron to craft a “plan” for peace in Ukraine that they would present to the United States.
Attempting to throw his weight around, President Macron appeared to demand that Europeans be given a voice at the negotiating table, saying per The Times: “If the United States settled a ceasefire solely with Russia, it would breach international law. For a permanent member of the UN Security Council, that would be a profound break.
“If they settled an accord with Russia without the Europeans at the table … that would be a rupture at the heart of the Atlantic alliance… We are in favour of peace but not of a capitulation that takes place against the backdrop of a rout or abandonment of the Ukrainians,” he added.
However, despite the tough talk from Starmer and Macron, it is unlikely that they alone could actually provide the security guarantees needed to prevent Ukraine from being invaded in the future.
Former Deputy Supreme Allied Commander at NATO, General Sir John McColl, said: “There is absolutely no way that the European nations without American support can provide any form of security guarantee for Ukraine.”
“It can either be a peace support operation, which means you simply report if there is an incursion, or it can be a peace enforcement operation, which means you fight if there is an incursion. If it’s the latter, then Europe simply does not have the capabilities to be able to do that on its own.”
Perhaps in recognition of this reality, European leaders, including both Prime Minister Starmer and President Macron, have urged Zelensky to mend ties with President Trump after the Ukrainian leader was ejected from the White House on Friday after being accused of acting disrespectfully to the American leader and the people of the United States.
Macron said Saturday that he urged Zelensky to “re-engage” in dialogue with Washington, particularly on the mineral rights deal, which he left the country without signing following the dustup with Trump in the Oval Office.
Polish President Andrzej Duda also joined the chorus in Europe calling for Zelensky to mend ties with Trump, saying Saturday: “You have to go back to the talk table, sit down to negotiate… If anyone is able to achieve an end to the war, then the United States has that potential, no one else.”
