🔗 Share this article

Former President Trump stated on Saturday that his Russian-prepared peace plan was "not my final offer", following fierce backlash from Ukrainian officials and analysts that compared it to the Munich pact of 1938 between Neville Chamberlain and Adolf Hitler.

In brief remarks at the White House, Trump informed journalists: "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 Talks Involve Multiple Nations

US and Ukrainian delegates will meet in Geneva this Sunday to discuss the plan. Defense representatives from France, Britain and Germany are expected to join the talks there.

Ahead of these discussions, American lawmakers told media outlets that State Department head Rubio contacted them while en route to Geneva for clarification on the details of the leaked plan. According to him, this plan "was not the administration’s plan" but instead a "wish list of the Russians", as reported by Senator King, who serves on the Foreign Relations Committee.

Ukraine's President Faces Critical Time Limit

However, the former president has set Volodymyr Zelenskyy until Thursday for signing this multi-point agreement. It calls on Kyiv to cede territory under its control to Russia, reduce its military forces, and surrender advanced weaponry. It also rules out a European peacekeeping force and penalties for Russian war crimes.

During a solemn speech last Friday, the Ukrainian leader cautioned that his country faces a difficult decision in the near future between keeping the nation's honor and forfeiting key ally like the United States. He admitted that Ukraine is experiencing one of the most difficult moments historically.

Ukraine's Dialogue Team Formed for Upcoming Meetings

In comments on Saturday, Zelenskyy said that real or respectable resolution was always based on assured safety and fairness. He announced a delegation, appointed through a decree, that would soon meet its US counterparts in Switzerland, headed by his chief of staff Yermak.

Another member of the Ukrainian delegation, former defence minister and security council official Umerov, said they will hold consultations with the US regarding potential terms for a peace deal.

Hinting at limits, 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

Zelenskyy has sought to engage constructively with a White House seemingly determined to end the conflict on the Kremlin’s one-sided terms. He has emphasized that he will not surrender the nation's independence or disregard a constitution that enshrines Ukraine's territorial integrity.

During a summit in South Africa, leaders from the G20 and EU representatives issued a joint statement pushing back on Trump’s plan, stating it requires further refinement. The statement indicated that EU and Nato members would need to be consulted regarding certain clauses, which rule out Ukraine's NATO accession and impose terms on its European Union membership.

Public Views in Kyiv

Ukrainian reaction to the text, prepared by a Russian representative and a US delegate, has been overwhelmingly hostile. Commentators argued it outlined a plan for another Russian invasion: not only of Ukraine but other European regions as well.

Mustafa Nayyem, a journalist and politician who led Ukraine’s 2014 pro-democracy Maidan revolution, said it drew comparisons with the Munich Agreement. 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 he was outraged by the complete pardon for Russian atrocities. This offended people who had hidden in basements in Bucha or Mariupol – sites of civilian executions – and families of deported children to Russian territory. A deeply cynical deal, he concluded.

Speaking in a Kyiv subway station, Dmytro Sariskyi, a young adult, commented that Russia has attempted to control Ukraine politically and territorially over many years. It conceded very little in the Trump agreement and continued to keep its forces on Ukrainian soil. "I think the deal is an attempt to break Ukraine and force unjust conditions on us," he remarked.

Should Ukraine accept the terms it would be compelled to give up its freedoms, he added. If it didn’t, the US would most likely break off cooperation and intelligence sharing, a vital resource of battlefield information for Ukraine's forces. "There is no good way out of this for now," he noted.

Varied Perspectives from the Public

A different commuter, 19-year-old Sofia Barchan, said that Ukraine would "keep strong" without American support. "We will fight for as long as it takes. Crimea and the eastern regions are part of Ukraine. It belongs to Ukraine." She expressed Zelenskyy was a "smart person" and forecasted he would not cede territory.

While speaking in the rain, near a historical monument, Olena Ivanovna said she was grateful to Trump for his peace-making efforts. She suggested that Ukraine ought to consider ceding certain regions for a limited time if it ensured keeping America as a partner. The president should conduct a public vote on this matter, she said.

European Officials Criticize the Proposal

Previous European leaders have roundly condemned the plan. Finland’s former prime minister Marin described it as a disaster, affecting not just Ukraine but for democracies worldwide. She warned if the west showed weakness and ignorance – as it did in 2014 when Putin annexed Crimea – further hostilities would follow.

The former prime minister of Belgium, Verhofstadt, referenced Churchill’s definition regarding appeasement as "one who feeds a crocodile, hoping it will eat him last". He added: Trump aligns with Putin. Europe faces a choice between compromise and principles. A critical juncture for the European Union."