🔗 Share this article

Former President Donald Trump remarked on Saturday that his Moscow-drafted proposal for peace constituted "not my final offer", after fierce reaction from Ukraine's officials and commentators who compared it to a 1938 Munich agreement involving Neville Chamberlain and Adolf Hitler.

In brief remarks at the White House, Trump informed journalists: Our goal is to achieve peace. This should have occurred earlier … we are attempting to conclude it, in any case it must be resolved."

Upcoming Geneva Talks Involve Multiple Nations

US and Ukrainian officials are scheduled to meet in Geneva this Sunday to discuss this proposal. Security officials from France, Britain and Germany will also participate in these negotiations in Geneva.

Prior to the talks, US senators informed media outlets that Secretary of State Rubio contacted them while en route to Switzerland to clarify the details of the leaked plan. He said, this plan did not originate from the administration but rather a "wish list of the Russians", as reported by Senator Angus King, a member on the Foreign Relations Committee.

Zelenskyy Faces Critical Time Limit

However, Trump has set Volodymyr Zelenskyy a deadline of Thursday to sign the 28-point document. The document requires Kyiv to give up territory it currently controls to Russia, reduce its military forces, and surrender long-range weapons. Additionally, it rules out international peacekeepers and penalties for atrocities committed by Russia.

In a sombre address on Friday, Zelenskyy cautioned that Ukraine faces an impossible choice in the near future between preserving the nation's honor and forfeiting key ally in the shape of the US. He admitted that Ukraine is experiencing an extremely challenging period historically.

Ukrainian Negotiating Team Formed for Geneva Talks

In comments this weekend, Zelenskyy said that real or respectable peace was always based on "guaranteed security and justice". He announced a delegation, established by presidential decree, that would soon meet American representatives in Geneva, headed by his chief of staff Andriy Yermak.

Another member of the Ukrainian delegation, ex-defense head and national security council secretary Umerov, said there would be discussions with Washington regarding potential terms for a peace deal.

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

Global Response and Criticism

The Ukrainian president has attempted to participate positively with the US administration apparently intent to end the conflict on the Kremlin’s one-sided terms. He has emphasized that he will not surrender Ukraine’s sovereignty or abandon the constitutional framework that enshrines Ukraine's territorial integrity.

At a meeting held in South Africa, leaders from the G20 and EU representatives issued a joint statement pushing back on the proposed deal, stating it requires further refinement. It said 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.

Public Opinion in Kyiv

Ukrainian reaction to the proposal, drawn up by Putin’s envoy and Trump’s representative, have been largely negative. Commentators argued it outlined a plan for further Russian aggression: not only of Ukraine but other European regions as well.

Nayyem, a journalist and politician involved in Ukraine’s 2014 pro-democracy Maidan revolution, remarked it invited parallels with the Munich Agreement. Trumps’s peace plan came from a similar category, where the affected party is asked to outline its own surrender for broader convenience.

On social media, he said he was outraged by the complete pardon for Russian atrocities. This offended those who sought shelter in affected cities – where Russian troops executed hundreds of civilians – and families of deported children to Russia. "A rather cynical agreement," he concluded.

In an interview in Kyiv’s Golden Gate metro station, Dmytro Sariskyi, 21, commented that Moscow has attempted to dominate Ukraine "for 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.

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 military intelligence for Ukraine's forces. Currently, there is no favorable solution, he noted.

Diverse Perspectives from Ukrainian Citizens

A different commuter, 19-year-old Sofia Barchan, said that Ukraine would remain resilient lacking US backing. We will continue our struggle as needed. Our territory will remain our territory, including Crimea and the east. They are Ukrainian land." She said that the president is intelligent and forecasted he would not give up Ukrainian land.

Speaking in the rain, near a historical monument, Ivanovna said her appreciation to the former US leader for his peace-making efforts. She said that the nation should be ready to give away certain regions 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 Leaders Condemn the Plan

Previous European leaders have roundly condemned this proposal. Ex-PM of Finland Sanna Marin called it a catastrophe, affecting not just Ukraine but for democracies worldwide. She warned if Western nations display vulnerability – similar to the 2014 Crimea annexation – "more aggression and conflicts" would follow.

Belgium's ex-PM, Verhofstadt, referenced a statement by Churchill of an appeaser as someone who accommodates an aggressor. He continued: Trump aligns with Putin. Europe faces a choice between compromise and principles. Another moment of truth for our [European] union."