Starmer and Macron discuss 30-day ceasefire, with Russia’s role mentioned
Keir Starmer and Emmanuel Macron (Photo: Getty Images)
On Monday, UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer held a phone conversation with French President Emmanuel Macron. The two leaders discussed a ceasefire in Ukraine, among other pressing issues, according to the official website of the UK government.
“The Prime Minister began by reflecting on how privileged he felt to be part of the moving VE Day celebrations this week, including the commemorative events held today,” the publication reads.
Turning to the situation in Ukraine, the leaders discussed the need for Russia to commit to a 30-day ceasefire to enable meaningful peace talks.
"Ukraine had proved it was willing and ready to come to the table and was the party of peace," added Starmer.
The leaders of the two countries also look forward to the UK-France summit scheduled for this year. They agreed to intensify cooperation between their nations in all areas, including defense, security, and illegal immigration. Both emphasized the need to do more to stop illegal migration.
"They also agreed on the importance of a successful EU-UK summit in two weeks’ time," the website stated.
Discussing the situation in Gaza, Starmer and Macron expressed deep concern over the recent events and agreed on the necessity of resuming the peace process.
"The leaders looked forward to speaking again soon," concluded the UK government.
Ukraine-Russia ceasefire
At the end of April, Russian President Vladimir Putin announced a three-day ceasefire from May 8 to 11, which was meant to halt all combat operations. However, recalling the Easter ceasefire, the truce was only in the air, as Russian assaults continued on the front lines. There is also an opinion that the three-day ceasefire is primarily needed by Putin to hold the May 9 parade.
Recently, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said that Ukraine is ready for a ceasefire as of today, but only for 30 days, and if Russia is prepared to take mirror actions.
Yesterday, US President Donald Trump commented that Putin’s offer of a three-day ceasefire may not seem long, but it’s a lot.
"I think we've come a long way, and it could be something will happen, but hopefully it will. As you know, President Putin announced a three-day ceasefire, which doesn’t sound like much, but it’s a lot if you knew where we started from," Trump said, recalling that for three years, no one had been talking to Putin.
