🔗 Share this article

Former President Trump stated on Saturday that the Russian-prepared peace plan constituted "not my final offer", following intense criticism from Ukraine's officials and commentators that likened it to the Munich pact of 1938 between Neville Chamberlain and Adolf Hitler.

In brief comments at the White House, the US president told reporters: Our goal is to achieve peace. It should’ve happened a long time ago … we are attempting to conclude it, one way or the other we have to get it ended."

Forthcoming Geneva Negotiations Include Multiple Countries

US and Ukrainian delegates will meet in Geneva this Sunday to discuss this proposal. Defense representatives from Germany, France, and the UK will also participate in these negotiations there.

Prior to these discussions, US senators informed media outlets that State Department head Marco Rubio contacted them during his travel to Switzerland for clarification on the nature of this disclosed proposal. He said, the proposal did not originate from the administration but instead reflected Russian desires, as reported by independent Maine senator King, who serves on the Foreign Relations Committee.

Ukraine's President Faces Critical Deadline

However, Trump has given Zelenskyy until Thursday to sign the 28-point document. The document requires Kyiv to cede territory under its control to Moscow, downsize its military forces, and surrender long-range weapons. Additionally, it rules out international peacekeepers and penalties for Russian war crimes.

In a sombre speech last Friday, the Ukrainian leader warned that his country faces a difficult decision in the near future involving preserving the nation's honor and forfeiting key ally like the United States. He admitted that Ukraine is experiencing one of the most difficult moments in its history.

Ukraine's Negotiating Delegation Appointed for Upcoming Talks

Speaking on Saturday, the president emphasized that genuine or respectable peace was always based on "guaranteed security and justice". He revealed a negotiating team, appointed through a decree, which will meet American representatives in Switzerland, led by top aide Yermak.

Another member of the Ukrainian delegation, ex-defense head and security council official Rustem Umerov, stated they will hold discussions with Washington "on the possible parameters of a future peace agreement".

Suggesting red lines, he noted: "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 Concerns

The Ukrainian president has sought to participate positively with a White House seemingly determined to resolve the war on the Kremlin’s one-sided terms. He has made clear that he will not surrender the nation's independence or abandon a constitution that enshrines Ukraine's territorial integrity.

During a summit held in South Africa, G20 leaders and the European Council issued a joint statement pushing back on the proposed deal, saying it needs "additional work". It said that EU and Nato members would need to be consulted regarding certain clauses, that exclude Kyiv’s Nato membership and impose terms on its future EU accession.

Public Opinion in Ukraine's Capital

Ukrainian reaction to the text, drawn up by a Russian representative and a US delegate, have been largely negative. Commentators said it was a blueprint for further Russian aggression: not only of Ukraine but other European regions too.

Mustafa Nayyem, a journalist and politician who led Ukraine’s 2014 pro-democracy Maidan revolution, said it drew comparisons with the Munich Agreement. Trumps’s peace plan came from a similar category, where the affected party is asked "to formulate his own defeat so everyone else can live easier".

On social media, he expressed his anger by its "full" amnesty for Russian war crimes. This offended those who sought shelter in Bucha or Mariupol – sites of civilian executions – and for those whose children had been forcibly deported to Russian territory. A deeply cynical deal, he stated.

Speaking in a Kyiv subway station, Sariskyi, a young adult, commented that Russia has attempted to control Ukraine politically and territorially "for years". The agreement offered very little in the Trump agreement and maintained troops in Ukraine. "I think the deal is an attempt to break Ukraine and force unjust conditions on us," he said.

Should Ukraine accept the terms it would be compelled to give up its freedoms, he said. If it didn’t, the US would most likely break off cooperation and intelligence sharing, a crucial source of battlefield information for frontline Ukrainian troops. Currently, there is no favorable solution, he remarked.

Varied Viewpoints from Ukrainian Citizens

Another passenger, 19-year-old Sofia Barchan, said that the country would "keep strong" lacking US backing. "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 Zelenskyy was a "smart person" and forecasted he would not cede territory.

Speaking during rainfall, next to a replica of Kyiv’s original medieval gate, Olena Ivanovna said she was grateful to Trump for his attempts to broker peace. She suggested that the nation ought to consider ceding Crimea and the eastern Donbas region temporarily if it meant keeping America as a partner. The president should conduct a public vote on this matter, she said.

European Officials Criticize the Plan

Previous European leaders have roundly condemned the plan. Finland’s former prime minister Sanna Marin described it as a catastrophe, affecting not just Ukraine but for "all of the democratic world". She warned if the west showed weakness and ignorance – similar to the 2014 Crimea annexation – "more aggression and conflicts" could arise.

Belgium's ex-PM, Guy Verhofstadt, quoted Churchill’s definition regarding appeasement as someone who accommodates an aggressor. He continued: "Trump now takes Putin’s side. Europe must choose again: appeasement or our values, imperialism or freedom. A critical juncture for the European Union."