🔗 Share this article

Former President Donald Trump stated on Saturday that his Russian-prepared proposal for peace constituted not his ultimate proposal, after intense criticism from Ukraine's leaders and commentators that likened it to a Munich pact of 1938 between Chamberlain and Hitler.

In brief remarks at the White House, the US president told journalists: 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 it must be resolved."

Forthcoming Switzerland Negotiations Include Various Countries

Ukrainian and American delegates will meet in Switzerland this Sunday for discussions on the plan. Security officials from Germany, France, and the UK will also participate in these negotiations there.

Ahead of the talks, US senators informed the press that Secretary of State Marco Rubio contacted them while en route to Geneva to clarify the nature of the leaked plan. According to him, this plan "was not the administration’s plan" but rather reflected Russian desires, as reported by independent Maine senator Angus King, who serves on the Foreign Relations Committee.

Zelenskyy Confronts Crucial Deadline

Nevertheless, the former president has set Zelenskyy until Thursday to sign this multi-point agreement. The document requires Ukraine to cede land under its control to Moscow, reduce its military forces, and relinquish advanced weaponry. Additionally, it rules out a European peacekeeping force and sanctions for Russian war crimes.

During a solemn address on Friday, the Ukrainian leader warned that his country confronts a difficult decision in the near future involving preserving its national dignity and forfeiting key ally in the shape of the US. Zelenskyy acknowledged that it faces an extremely challenging period historically.

Ukrainian Negotiating Team Formed for Geneva Meetings

Speaking on Saturday, the president said that genuine or "dignified" peace was always based on assured safety and fairness. He announced a negotiating team, appointed by presidential decree, which will meet American representatives in Switzerland, headed by his chief of staff Andriy Yermak.

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

Suggesting limits, he added: Ukraine enters these talks with defined goals. This represents a continuation of recent discussions focused on harmonizing our plans for future actions."

International Reaction and Concerns

The Ukrainian president has sought to engage constructively with the US administration seemingly determined to end the conflict based on Russian conditions. He has made clear that he will not surrender Ukraine’s sovereignty or disregard a constitution that protects Ukraine's territorial integrity.

During a summit held in South Africa, G20 leaders and EU representatives released a collective declaration opposing Trump’s plan, saying it needs further refinement. It said that EU and Nato members would need to be consulted on some of its provisions, that exclude Kyiv’s Nato membership and put conditions on its European Union membership.

Public Views in Ukraine's Capital

Responses from Ukrainians to the proposal, prepared by a Russian representative and a US delegate, has been overwhelmingly hostile. Analysts said it was a blueprint for further Russian aggression: targeting not just Ukraine but other European regions as well.

Mustafa Nayyem, a journalist and politician involved in the 2014 Maidan protests, said it drew comparisons with the Munich Agreement. Trumps’s peace plan came from a similar category, with the victim invited "to formulate his own defeat so everyone else can live easier".

In a Facebook post, Nayyem expressed he was outraged by its "full" amnesty for Russian war crimes. It was an insult people who had hidden in basements in affected cities – where Russian troops executed hundreds of civilians – and for those whose children had been forcibly deported to Russian territory. "A rather cynical agreement," he stated.

In an interview in a Kyiv subway station, Sariskyi, 21, said that Russia has attempted to control Ukraine politically and territorially "for years". It conceded very little in the proposed deal and continued to keep troops in Ukraine. In my view, this deal aims to undermine Ukraine and impose unfair terms, he remarked.

If Zelenskyy signed off on the proposals Kyiv would be forced to sacrifice its liberties, he added. 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. "There is no good way out of this for now," he remarked.

Varied Viewpoints from the Public

Another passenger, 19-year-old Barchan, said 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. It belongs to Ukraine." She said that the president is intelligent and forecasted he would not cede territory.

Speaking in the rain, next to a replica of Kyiv’s original medieval gate, Olena Ivanovna mentioned her appreciation to the former US leader for his peace-making efforts. She suggested that the nation ought to consider ceding Crimea and the eastern Donbas region temporarily if it meant keeping America as a partner. "President Zelenskyy should hold a referendum and ask the people," she proposed.

EU Leaders Condemn the Proposal

Previous European leaders have strongly criticized the plan. Ex-PM of Finland Marin described it as a catastrophe, not only for Ukraine and Ukrainians but for democracies worldwide. She warned if the west showed weakness and ignorance – similar to the 2014 Crimea annexation – "more aggression and conflicts" 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. A critical juncture for the European Union."