Donald Trump Declares Peace Plan Isn't Ultimate Proposal as Officials Convene for Swiss Meeting

Former President Trump indicated this past weekend that his Moscow-drafted peace plan was "not my final offer", following intense backlash from Ukraine's leaders and analysts that compared it to the 1938 Munich agreement between Neville Chamberlain and Adolf Hitler.

In short comments from the White House, Trump told journalists: Our goal is to achieve peace. This should have occurred earlier … we’re trying to get it ended, in any case it must be resolved."

Upcoming Geneva Talks Include Multiple Countries

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

Ahead of the talks, American lawmakers told the press that Secretary of State Rubio reached out to them during his travel to Geneva for clarification on the nature of this disclosed proposal. He said, the proposal "was not the administration’s plan" but rather a "wish list of the Russians", as reported by independent Maine senator Angus King, a member on the Senate Foreign Relations Committee.

Zelenskyy Faces Critical Time Limit

However, Trump has given Volodymyr Zelenskyy until Thursday to sign this multi-point agreement. The document requires Kyiv to cede territory under its control to Moscow, downsize the size of its army, and relinquish advanced weaponry. Additionally, it rules out international peacekeepers and penalties for Russian war crimes.

In a sombre address on Friday, the Ukrainian leader cautioned that Ukraine faces a difficult decision in the near future between keeping its national dignity and losing key ally in the shape of the US. He admitted that it faces one of the most difficult moments in its history.

Ukraine's Negotiating Team Appointed for Geneva Talks

In comments on Saturday, Zelenskyy said that real or respectable resolution depends on assured safety and fairness. He announced a delegation, established through a decree, that would soon meet its US counterparts in Switzerland, led by top aide Andriy Yermak.

A additional delegate from Ukraine's team, former defence minister and security council official Rustem Umerov, said they will hold consultations with Washington "on the possible parameters of a future peace agreement".

Hinting at red lines, Umerov added: "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 Response and Concerns

Zelenskyy has sought to engage constructively with the US administration apparently intent to end the conflict on the Kremlin’s one-sided terms. He has made clear he cannot give up the nation's independence or abandon the constitutional framework that enshrines Ukraine's territorial integrity.

During a summit in South Africa, leaders from the G20 and the European Council issued a collective declaration opposing the proposed deal, saying it needs further refinement. It said that members of the EU and NATO would need to be consulted on some of its provisions, which rule out Kyiv’s Nato membership and impose terms on its European Union membership.

Public Views in Kyiv

Ukrainian reaction to the text, drawn up by Putin’s envoy and a US delegate, have been largely negative. Commentators said it outlined a plan for another Russian invasion: not only of Ukraine but other European regions too.

Nayyem, a journalist and politician involved in the 2014 Maidan protests, remarked it drew comparisons with Chamberlain’s infamous Munich deal. The proposal came from the same "recognisable genre", where the affected party is asked "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. This offended those who sought shelter in Bucha or Mariupol – where Russian troops executed hundreds of civilians – and for those whose children had been forcibly deported to Russian territory. "A rather cynical agreement," he concluded.

In an interview in Kyiv’s Golden Gate metro station, Dmytro Sariskyi, a young adult, said that Russia has attempted to control Ukraine politically and territorially over many years. The agreement offered very little 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 remarked.

Should Ukraine accept the terms it would be compelled to give up its freedoms, he said. If rejected, the US would most likely break off cooperation and intelligence sharing, a vital resource of military intelligence for frontline Ukrainian troops. "There is no good way out of this for now," he noted.

Varied Viewpoints from Ukrainian Citizens

Another passenger, 19-year-old Sofia Barchan, asserted that Ukraine 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. It belongs to Ukraine." She expressed Zelenskyy was a "smart person" and forecasted he would not give up Ukrainian land.

While speaking in the rain, next to a replica of Kyiv’s original medieval gate, Ivanovna mentioned she was grateful to Trump for his peace-making efforts. She suggested that Ukraine ought to consider to give away Crimea and the eastern Donbas region for a limited time if it meant keeping America as a partner. "President Zelenskyy should hold a referendum and ask the people," she proposed.

EU Officials Criticize the Plan

Former European heads of state have strongly criticized the plan. Ex-PM of Finland Sanna Marin called it a disaster, not only for Ukraine and Ukrainians but for democracies worldwide. She said if Western nations display vulnerability – similar to the 2014 Crimea annexation – further hostilities could arise.

The former prime minister of Belgium, Verhofstadt, quoted a statement by Churchill regarding appeasement as "one who feeds a crocodile, hoping it will eat him last". He added: "Trump now takes Putin’s side. Europe faces a choice between compromise and principles. Another moment of truth for our [European] union."