European leaders are working to salvage the strained relationship between Ukraine and the US, in which the UK and France are gathering a "goodwill alliance" to develop a plan to end the Russia-Ukraine conflict. UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer said that he had worked with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky and French President Emmanuel Macron to develop a plan to end the conflict, then discuss with the US.
Mr. Starmer revealed to CBS News that there are "intensive discussions" to secure security from the US. Prime Minister Starmer also listed 3 things that are needed to ensure the success of a peace agreement in Ukraine: Equipping weapons to make Ukraine strong; European participation in ensuring security; US support to prevent the peace agreement from being broken up.
French President Emmanuel Macron has outlined the deal in an interview with French news agency Le figaro. He said France and the UK have proposed a one-month limited ceasefire in Ukraine. The first phase of the deal includes a month of ceasefire with air, sea and ceasefire on energy infrastructure. The second phase of the deal will include a ceasefire with ground troops. At the London summit on March 2, European leaders pledged to increase support for Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky. Many leaders expressed hope that the two sides would heal the rift after the fierce debate between President Volodymyr Zelensky and President Donald Trump at the White House last week.
We are at a historic crossroads. Europe must shoulder a heavy responsibility, Prime Minister Starmer said at the conference, noting that to support peace and for success, this effort needs strong support from the United States. British Prime Minister Keir Starmer also believes that despite the controversy between Mr Trump and Mr Zelensky, the US leader still supports a long-term peace agreement between Ukraine and Russia.
"Mr. Starmer has two goals," said Mujtaba Rahman, an analyst at Eurasia Group, a political consulting firm. Develop a proposal to Ukrainians and Europeans so that the US can continue to actively participate in Ukraine's security issues, while preparing for the worst possible situation."
This requires European countries to shoulder much greater responsibility in defending Europe. NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte said that some countries have pledged to increase military spending but refused to reveal which country.
Earlier, on March 1, after a private meeting with President Zelensky, Prime Minister Starmer had provided Ukraine with a loan of £2.26 billion (about $2.8 billion) to buy military equipment. On March 2, he announced plans to allow Ukraine to use £1.6 billion ($2 billion) in British export sponsorship to purchase more than 5,000 advanced anti-aircraft missiles. European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen also affirmed that the European Union will support Ukraine with economic and military aid.
In Washington, on March 3, President Donald Trump held a meeting with top national security assistants, including Secretary Marco Rubio and Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth, to review and decide on a series of policy options for Ukraine. The meeting included suspending or canceling US military aid to Ukraine.
