🔗 Share this article

Ex-leader Trump remarked this past weekend that the Moscow-drafted peace plan constituted "not my final offer", following strong criticism from Ukrainian leaders and commentators who likened it to a 1938 Munich agreement involving Neville Chamberlain and Hitler.

During short remarks at the White House, Trump informed journalists: "We’d like to get to peace. It should’ve happened a long time ago … we’re trying to get it ended, one way or the other we have to get it ended."

Upcoming Geneva Talks Include Various Nations

US and Ukrainian delegates are scheduled to meet in Switzerland this Sunday to discuss the plan. Defense representatives from Germany, France, and the UK will also participate in the talks in Geneva.

Ahead of these discussions, American lawmakers told the press that Secretary of State Marco Rubio contacted them while en route to Geneva to clarify the nature of this disclosed proposal. According to him, the proposal did not originate from the administration but instead a "wish list of the Russians", as reported by Senator Angus King, who serves on the Foreign Relations Committee.

Zelenskyy Faces Critical Deadline

Nevertheless, Trump has given Zelenskyy a deadline of Thursday for signing the 28-point document. The document requires Kyiv to give up territory it currently controls to Moscow, reduce its military forces, and relinquish advanced weaponry. Additionally, it rules out international peacekeepers and penalties for atrocities committed by Russia.

In a sombre speech on Friday, Zelenskyy warned that his country faces an impossible choice over the coming days involving keeping its national dignity and forfeiting key ally like the United States. Zelenskyy acknowledged that it faces one of the most difficult moments in its history.

Ukrainian Negotiating Team Appointed for Upcoming Talks

In comments on Saturday, the president said that real or respectable resolution was always based on "guaranteed security and justice". He revealed a delegation, appointed by presidential decree, that would soon meet American representatives in Geneva, headed by his chief of staff Andriy Yermak.

A additional delegate from Ukraine's team, ex-defense head and national security council secretary Umerov, stated they will hold discussions 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 represents a continuation of recent discussions focused on harmonizing our plans for future actions."

International Reaction and Criticism

Zelenskyy has sought to engage constructively with a White House seemingly determined to resolve the war on the Kremlin’s one-sided terms. He has emphasized he cannot give up the nation's independence or disregard the constitutional framework that protects the country’s current borders.

At a meeting 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. It said that EU and Nato members must be involved on some of its provisions, which rule out Ukraine's NATO accession and impose terms on its European Union membership.

Public Views in Ukraine's Capital

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

Mustafa Nayyem, a journalist and politician who led the 2014 Maidan protests, said it invited parallels with Chamberlain’s infamous Munich deal. Trumps’s peace plan 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 expressed he was outraged by its "full" amnesty for Russian war crimes. This offended people who had hidden in basements in affected cities – sites of civilian executions – and families of deported children to Russian territory. "A rather cynical agreement," he stated.

In an interview in Kyiv’s Golden Gate metro station, Sariskyi, 21, commented that Moscow had been trying to dominate Ukraine over many years. It conceded "barely anything" in the Trump agreement 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 give up its freedoms, he said. If it didn’t, the US might cease collaboration and intelligence exchange, 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 Ukrainian Citizens

A different commuter, teenager 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 predicted he would not give up Ukrainian land.

While speaking during rainfall, near a historical monument, Ivanovna mentioned her appreciation to the former US leader for his attempts to broker peace. She said that Ukraine ought to consider ceding certain regions for a limited time if it meant maintaining US support. "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. Finland’s former prime minister Marin called it a disaster, not only for Ukraine and Ukrainians but for "all of the democratic world". She warned if the west showed weakness and ignorance – similar to the 2014 Crimea annexation – "more aggression and conflicts" would follow.

The former prime minister of Belgium, Verhofstadt, referenced a statement by Churchill regarding appeasement as someone who accommodates an aggressor. He added: "Trump now takes Putin’s side. Europe faces a choice between compromise and principles. A critical juncture for the European Union."