🔗 Share this article

Ex-leader Donald Trump remarked on Saturday that the Russian-prepared peace plan was "not my final offer", after strong reaction from Ukrainian officials and commentators that compared it to a 1938 Munich agreement between Neville Chamberlain and Adolf Hitler.

During brief remarks from the White House, the US president informed reporters: Our goal is to achieve peace. It should’ve happened a long time ago … we’re trying to get it ended, one way or the other we have to get it ended."

Forthcoming Geneva Talks Include Various Countries

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

Ahead of the talks, US senators told media outlets that State Department head Marco Rubio reached out to them while en route to Switzerland for clarification on the details of this disclosed proposal. He said, this plan did not originate from the administration but rather a "wish list of the Russians", as reported by independent Maine senator King, who serves on the Senate Foreign Relations Committee.

Zelenskyy Faces Crucial Time Limit

Nevertheless, the former president has given Volodymyr Zelenskyy until Thursday to sign the 28-point document. The document requires Ukraine to give up land it currently controls to Russia, downsize the size of its army, and relinquish advanced weaponry. It also excludes international peacekeepers and sanctions for atrocities committed by Russia.

During a solemn address last Friday, the Ukrainian leader warned that Ukraine confronts a difficult decision in the near future between keeping the nation's honor and forfeiting a major partner like the United States. Zelenskyy acknowledged that it faces one of the most difficult moments in its history.

Ukrainian Negotiating Delegation Appointed for Geneva Meetings

In comments on Saturday, Zelenskyy emphasized that genuine or "dignified" resolution was always based on "guaranteed security and justice". He announced a delegation, appointed by presidential decree, that would soon meet American representatives in Switzerland, led by his chief of staff Andriy Yermak.

Another member from Ukraine's team, ex-defense head and national security council secretary Umerov, stated they will hold discussions with the US "on the possible parameters of a future peace agreement".

Suggesting red lines, Umerov added: "Ukraine approaches this process with a clear understanding of its interests. This is another stage of the dialogue that has been ongoing in recent days and is primarily aimed at aligning our vision for the next steps."

International Reaction and Criticism

Zelenskyy has attempted to participate positively with the US administration seemingly determined to resolve the war based on Russian conditions. He has made clear that he will not surrender Ukraine’s sovereignty or abandon the constitutional framework that protects Ukraine's territorial integrity.

During a summit held in South Africa, G20 leaders and the European Council released a joint statement pushing back on Trump’s plan, stating it requires "additional work". The statement indicated that EU and Nato members would need to be consulted on some of its provisions, that exclude Ukraine's NATO accession and impose terms on its future EU accession.

Citizen Opinion in Kyiv

Ukrainian reaction to the proposal, prepared by Putin’s envoy and a US delegate, has been overwhelmingly hostile. Analysts argued it outlined a plan for further Russian aggression: targeting not just Ukraine but other European regions too.

Mustafa Nayyem, a journalist and politician involved in Ukraine’s 2014 pro-democracy Maidan revolution, said it invited parallels with the Munich Agreement. The proposal came from the same "recognisable genre", with the victim invited "to formulate his own defeat so everyone else can live easier".

In a Facebook post, he said he was outraged by its "full" amnesty for Russian war crimes. It was an insult people who had hidden in basements in Bucha or Mariupol – sites of civilian executions – and families of deported children to Russia. A deeply cynical deal, he concluded.

In an interview in a Kyiv subway station, Sariskyi, a young adult, said that Moscow has attempted to control Ukraine politically and territorially "for years". It conceded very little in the Trump agreement and maintained 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 sacrifice its liberties, he added. If rejected, the US would most likely break off cooperation and intelligence sharing, a crucial source of military intelligence for Ukraine's forces. Currently, there is no favorable solution, he remarked.

Diverse Viewpoints from the Public

Another passenger, 19-year-old Sofia Barchan, asserted that Ukraine would remain resilient without American support. "We will fight for as long as it takes. Our territory will remain our territory, including Crimea and the east. They are Ukrainian land." She expressed that the president is intelligent and forecasted he would not give up Ukrainian land.

Speaking during rainfall, next to a replica of Kyiv’s original medieval gate, Olena Ivanovna mentioned she was grateful to Trump for his peace-making efforts. She said that the nation ought to consider ceding Crimea and the eastern Donbas region for a limited time if it ensured keeping America as a partner. "President Zelenskyy should hold a referendum and ask the people," she said.

European Officials Condemn the Proposal

Former European heads of state have roundly condemned this proposal. Ex-PM of Finland Sanna Marin called it a catastrophe, affecting not just Ukraine but for democracies worldwide. She warned if the west showed weakness and ignorance – similar to the 2014 Crimea annexation – "more aggression and conflicts" would follow.

The former prime minister of Belgium, Guy Verhofstadt, referenced a statement by Churchill of an appeaser as "one who feeds a crocodile, hoping it will eat him last". He continued: "Trump now takes Putin’s side. Europe faces a choice between compromise and principles. A critical juncture for the European Union."