Europe proposes strategic ceasefire in Ukraine peace talks

"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, organised by UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer, was focused on Ukraine and European security. Among the guests was also Volodymyr Zelensky.

The UK Prime Minister announced after the summit in London that "European allies will develop a ceasefire plan in Ukraine and present it to Donald Trump." He emphasised that the starting point must ensure Ukraine's strongest position now and added that "every agreement must be backed by strength."

"Europe has awakened, the giant has awakened," Prime Minister Donald Tusk emphasised before departing to 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.

"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 realised 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, all countries must support Ukraine. If Poland is sent peacekeeping forces on a mission, it should not immediately declare that it will not send its soldiers. Unfortunately, we are in a bad position because of the election campaign. And like other countries, we should think strategically several years ahead," says Gen. Polko.

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 partially paralysed 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 defence capabilities by creating EU operational command centres. For this, it could use, for example, the Northeast Corps, managed by Poland, Denmark, and Germany - believes Gen. Koziej.

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 1,000 kilometres (around 620 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, sceptical 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."

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 unreasonable 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 reasonable and strategic step. If Putin were to agree to a ceasefire, a coalition of European countries could be assembled within a month, leading to the signing of an armistice. However, the former head of BBN expressed skepticism about the likelihood of the Russian leader accepting such terms. Nonetheless, he emphasized the importance of presenting the proposal and observing Putin’s response to determine whether he genuinely seeks to end the war or never intended to in the first place.