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On 2 March 2025, France and the United Kingdom initiated a partial truce between Russia and Ukraine for a period of one month. This was stated by French President Emmanuel Macron in an interview with Le Figaro, specifying that the proposal, developed jointly with British Prime Minister Keir Starmer, provides for an end to attacks in the air, at sea and on energy infrastructure. At the same time, ground combat operations would remain outside the scope of this ceasefire.
Macron stressed that such a partial truce would allow the implementation of the agreements to be verified, as monitoring compliance with a complete ceasefire along the entire front line, which is comparable in length to the distance from Paris to Budapest, would be “extremely difficult”. According to him, this initiative is the first step towards de-escalation, which should create conditions for further negotiations. Commenting on the proposal, the French foreign minister added that Paris and London want to give Ukraine time to strengthen its position before possible broader peace discussions.
The proposal came on the eve of Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy’s meeting with King Charles III in Sandringham, where the leaders discussed support for Ukraine and prospects for peace. The UK and France stressed that their plan is aimed at giving Kyiv a strong negotiating position in the future.
