🔗 Share this article

Former President Trump remarked on Saturday that his Russian-prepared peace plan constituted "not my final offer", following strong reaction from Ukraine's officials and analysts who likened it to the Munich pact of 1938 involving Chamberlain and Adolf Hitler.

In short remarks from the White House, Trump told journalists: "We’d like to get to 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."

Upcoming Geneva Negotiations Include Multiple Countries

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

Prior to these discussions, American lawmakers informed the press that Secretary of State Rubio reached out to them during his travel to Switzerland to clarify the details of this disclosed proposal. He said, the proposal did not originate from the administration but instead reflected Russian desires, according to Senator King, a member on the Senate Foreign Relations Committee.

Ukraine's President Confronts Crucial Deadline

However, Trump has set Zelenskyy a deadline of Thursday for signing the 28-point document. It calls on Ukraine to cede land under its control to Russia, reduce its military forces, and surrender long-range weapons. Additionally, it excludes a European peacekeeping force and sanctions for atrocities committed by Russia.

In a sombre speech last Friday, Zelenskyy warned that Ukraine faces an impossible choice over the coming days involving keeping its national dignity and losing a major partner in the shape of the US. He admitted that Ukraine is experiencing an extremely challenging period in its history.

Ukraine's Negotiating Team Appointed for Upcoming Talks

In comments this weekend, the president said that genuine or "dignified" resolution was always based on "guaranteed security and justice". He announced a delegation, appointed 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, former defence minister and security council official Umerov, stated there would be discussions with the US "on the possible parameters of a future peace agreement".

Suggesting red lines, Umerov noted: Ukraine enters these talks with defined goals. This represents a continuation of recent discussions focused on harmonizing our plans for future actions."

International Response and Criticism

The Ukrainian president has sought to participate positively with the US administration apparently intent to end the conflict based on Russian conditions. He has emphasized he cannot give up the nation's independence or abandon the constitutional framework that enshrines the country’s current borders.

At a meeting in South Africa, G20 leaders and EU representatives issued a collective declaration opposing the proposed deal, saying it needs further refinement. It said that EU and Nato members must be involved on some of its provisions, that exclude Ukraine's NATO accession and impose terms on its European Union membership.

Public Opinion in Ukraine's Capital

Ukrainian reaction to the text, drawn up by Putin’s envoy and Trump’s representative, has been overwhelmingly hostile. Commentators argued it outlined a plan for further Russian aggression: targeting not just Ukraine but of other parts of Europe as well.

Nayyem, a public figure involved in Ukraine’s 2014 pro-democracy Maidan revolution, said it drew comparisons with the Munich Agreement. The proposal came from a similar category, with the victim invited to outline its own surrender for broader convenience.

On social media, Nayyem 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 stated.

Speaking in a Kyiv subway station, Dmytro Sariskyi, 21, said that Moscow had been trying to control Ukraine politically and territorially over many years. The agreement offered "barely anything" in the Trump agreement and continued to keep troops in Ukraine. In my view, this deal aims to undermine Ukraine and impose unfair terms, he remarked.

Should Ukraine accept the terms Kyiv would be forced 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 Ukraine's forces. Currently, there is no favorable solution, he remarked.

Diverse Viewpoints from Ukrainian Citizens

Another passenger, teenager Barchan, said that Ukraine would "keep strong" without American support. We will continue our struggle as needed. Our territory will remain our territory, including Crimea and the east. It belongs to Ukraine." She said that the president is intelligent and forecasted he would not give up Ukrainian land.

Speaking during rainfall, near a historical monument, Ivanovna said she was grateful to Trump for his peace-making efforts. She said that the nation ought to consider to give away certain regions for a limited time if it ensured maintaining US support. The president should conduct a public vote on this matter, she proposed.

European Leaders Criticize the Plan

Previous European leaders have strongly criticized the plan. Finland’s former prime minister Marin called it a catastrophe, not only for Ukraine and Ukrainians but for democracies worldwide. She said 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, Guy Verhofstadt, referenced Churchill’s definition regarding appeasement as someone who accommodates an aggressor. He added: Trump aligns with Putin. Europe faces a choice between compromise and principles. Another moment of truth for our [European] union."