🔗 Share this article

Ex-leader Trump remarked on Saturday that his Russian-prepared peace plan constituted "not my final offer", after strong criticism from Ukraine's leaders and commentators who compared it to a Munich pact of 1938 involving Neville Chamberlain and Adolf Hitler.

During short remarks from the White House, Trump informed reporters: "We’d like to get to peace. This should have occurred earlier … we’re trying to get it ended, in any case it must be resolved."

Upcoming Geneva Negotiations Include Various Countries

US and Ukrainian officials will meet in Geneva this Sunday for discussions on the plan. Security officials from France, Britain and Germany are expected to join the talks there.

Prior to these discussions, American lawmakers informed media outlets that State Department head Marco Rubio reached out to them while en route to Switzerland to clarify the details of the leaked plan. He said, this plan "was not the administration’s plan" but instead reflected Russian desires, as reported by independent Maine senator King, a member on the Foreign Relations Committee.

Zelenskyy Confronts Crucial Time Limit

However, Trump has given Volodymyr Zelenskyy a deadline of Thursday for signing the 28-point document. The document requires Ukraine to cede land it currently controls to Russia, reduce its military forces, and relinquish long-range weapons. Additionally, it rules out a European peacekeeping force and penalties for atrocities committed by Russia.

During a solemn speech on Friday, the Ukrainian leader cautioned that his country confronts a difficult decision over the coming days involving keeping the nation's honor and forfeiting a major partner in the shape of the US. Zelenskyy acknowledged that it faces one of the most difficult moments in its history.

Ukrainian Negotiating Team Formed for Geneva Talks

In comments this weekend, Zelenskyy emphasized that real or respectable resolution depends on assured safety and fairness. He revealed a negotiating team, established through a decree, that would soon meet its US counterparts in Switzerland, led by his chief of staff Yermak.

A additional delegate from Ukraine's team, ex-defense head and national security council secretary Rustem Umerov, said they will hold consultations with Washington "on the possible parameters of a future peace agreement".

Hinting at red lines, Umerov noted: "Ukraine approaches this process with a clear understanding of its interests. This represents a continuation of recent discussions focused on harmonizing our plans for future actions."

Global Reaction and Concerns

The Ukrainian president has sought to engage constructively with the US administration seemingly determined to end the conflict based on Russian conditions. He has emphasized he cannot give up the nation's independence or abandon a constitution that enshrines the country’s current borders.

During a summit in South Africa, leaders from the G20 and EU representatives issued a joint statement opposing the proposed deal, stating it needs "additional work". It said that members of the EU and NATO must be involved on some of its provisions, which rule out Kyiv’s Nato membership and impose terms on its European Union membership.

Citizen Views in Kyiv

Responses from Ukrainians to the proposal, drawn up by Putin’s envoy and Trump’s representative, has been overwhelmingly hostile. Commentators said it was a blueprint for another Russian invasion: not only of Ukraine but other European regions as well.

Nayyem, a public figure who led the 2014 Maidan protests, said it drew comparisons with Chamberlain’s infamous Munich deal. The proposal belonged to a similar category, with the victim invited "to formulate his own defeat so everyone else can live easier".

In a Facebook post, he expressed his anger by its "full" amnesty for Russian war crimes. It was an insult people who had hidden in basements in Bucha or Mariupol – where Russian troops executed hundreds of civilians – and families of deported children to Russia. A deeply cynical deal, he concluded.

In an interview in Kyiv’s Golden Gate metro station, Sariskyi, 21, commented that Russia has attempted to control Ukraine politically and territorially "for years". The agreement offered "barely anything" in the Trump agreement and continued to keep its forces on Ukrainian soil. In my view, this deal aims to undermine Ukraine and impose unfair terms, he said.

Should Ukraine accept the terms Kyiv would be forced to give up its freedoms, he added. If rejected, the US would most likely break off cooperation and intelligence sharing, a vital resource of military intelligence for Ukraine's forces. Currently, there is no favorable solution, he noted.

Diverse Perspectives from Ukrainian Citizens

Another passenger, 19-year-old Sofia Barchan, said that Ukraine would remain resilient without American support. We will continue our struggle as needed. Crimea and the eastern regions are part of Ukraine. It belongs to Ukraine." She said that the president is intelligent and forecasted he would not give up Ukrainian land.

While speaking during rainfall, next to a replica of Kyiv’s original medieval gate, Ivanovna said her appreciation to the former US leader for his attempts to broker peace. She suggested that Ukraine ought to consider to give away certain regions temporarily if it ensured keeping America as a partner. The president should conduct a public vote on this matter, she said.

EU Officials Criticize the Plan

Former European heads of state have strongly criticized the plan. Ex-PM of Finland Marin described it as a catastrophe, not only for Ukraine and Ukrainians but for democracies worldwide. She warned if Western nations display vulnerability – as it did in 2014 when Putin annexed Crimea – "more aggression and conflicts" would follow.

The former prime minister of Belgium, Verhofstadt, quoted a statement by Churchill of an appeaser as "one who feeds a crocodile, hoping it will eat him last". He added: Trump aligns with Putin. Europe must choose again: appeasement or our values, imperialism or freedom. A critical juncture for the European Union."