🔗 Share this article

Ex-leader Trump indicated on Saturday that the Russian-prepared peace plan was not his ultimate proposal, following strong backlash from Ukrainian leaders and analysts who compared it to a Munich pact of 1938 between Chamberlain and Hitler.

During short remarks at the White House, the US president informed journalists: "We’d like to get to peace. It should’ve happened a long time ago … we are attempting to conclude it, in any case it must be resolved."

Forthcoming Geneva Negotiations Include Various Nations

US and Ukrainian delegates will meet in Switzerland this Sunday for discussions on this proposal. Security officials from France, Britain and Germany will also participate in these negotiations in Geneva.

Ahead of the talks, American lawmakers told the press that Secretary of State Marco Rubio contacted them while en route to Switzerland to clarify the nature of the leaked plan. According to him, this plan did not originate from the administration but instead a "wish list of the Russians", as reported by Senator King, a member on the Foreign Relations Committee.

Ukraine's President Confronts Critical Deadline

Nevertheless, the former president has given Zelenskyy a deadline of Thursday to sign the 28-point document. The document requires Kyiv to give up land it currently controls to Russia, reduce its military forces, and relinquish long-range weapons. Additionally, it rules out international peacekeepers and penalties for Russian war crimes.

During a solemn speech last Friday, the Ukrainian leader warned that his country faces a difficult decision in the near future involving keeping the nation's honor and forfeiting a major partner in the shape of the US. Zelenskyy acknowledged that it faces one of the most difficult moments historically.

Ukraine's Negotiating Delegation Appointed for Geneva Talks

Speaking on Saturday, Zelenskyy emphasized that real or "dignified" peace depends on "guaranteed security and justice". He revealed a negotiating team, appointed by presidential decree, that would soon meet American representatives in Switzerland, led by his chief of staff Yermak.

A additional delegate of the Ukrainian delegation, ex-defense head and security council official Rustem Umerov, said they will hold discussions with Washington regarding potential terms for a peace deal.

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 Response and Criticism

The Ukrainian president has attempted 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 Ukraine’s sovereignty or disregard the constitutional framework that enshrines the country’s current borders.

During a summit held in South Africa, leaders from the G20 and EU representatives released a joint statement opposing Trump’s plan, stating it requires "additional work". The statement indicated that members of the EU and NATO must be involved on some of its provisions, which rule out Ukraine's NATO accession and put conditions on its future EU accession.

Citizen Views in Ukraine's Capital

Responses from Ukrainians to the proposal, drawn up by Putin’s envoy and a US delegate, has been overwhelmingly hostile. Analysts said it outlined a plan for further Russian aggression: not only of Ukraine but other European regions too.

Nayyem, a journalist and politician who led Ukraine’s 2014 pro-democracy Maidan revolution, remarked 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, Nayyem expressed his anger by its "full" amnesty for Russian war crimes. This offended 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 rather cynical agreement," he concluded.

Speaking in a Kyiv subway station, Sariskyi, a young adult, said that Moscow had been trying to dominate Ukraine over many years. The agreement offered "barely anything" 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 said.

Should Ukraine accept the terms Kyiv would be forced 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. Currently, there is no favorable solution, he noted.

Varied Viewpoints from the Public

Another passenger, 19-year-old Barchan, said that Ukraine would remain resilient 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 said Zelenskyy was a "smart person" and forecasted he would not give up Ukrainian land.

Speaking during rainfall, near a historical monument, Ivanovna said her appreciation to Trump for his attempts to broker peace. She suggested that the nation should be ready 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.

European Leaders Condemn the Plan

Previous European leaders have roundly condemned the plan. Ex-PM of Finland Sanna 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 – "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 continued: Trump aligns with Putin. Europe faces a choice between compromise and principles. Another moment of truth for our [European] union."