🔗 Share this article

Ex-leader Trump stated this past weekend that his Russian-prepared proposal for peace was "not my final offer", after intense criticism from Ukraine's officials and commentators who likened it to the 1938 Munich agreement between Neville Chamberlain and Hitler.

In brief comments at the White House, Trump told reporters: "We’d like to get to peace. This should have occurred earlier … we are attempting to conclude it, one way or the other it must be resolved."

Upcoming Geneva Talks Involve Multiple Countries

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

Prior to the talks, American lawmakers informed the press that Secretary of State Rubio reached out to them during his travel to Switzerland to clarify the details of the leaked plan. According to him, this plan did not originate from the administration but instead reflected Russian desires, as reported by independent Maine senator King, who serves on the Senate Foreign Relations Committee.

Zelenskyy Faces Critical Time Limit

Nevertheless, the former president has given Volodymyr Zelenskyy a deadline of Thursday to sign the 28-point document. The document requires Ukraine to cede territory it currently controls to Russia, reduce its military forces, and relinquish long-range weapons. Additionally, it rules out a European peacekeeping force and penalties for atrocities committed by Russia.

In a sombre address on Friday, Zelenskyy warned that Ukraine faces an impossible choice over the coming days between preserving the nation's honor and forfeiting a major partner in the shape of the US. He admitted that Ukraine is experiencing an extremely challenging period in its history.

Ukrainian Negotiating Team Appointed for Upcoming Talks

Speaking on Saturday, Zelenskyy emphasized that real or "dignified" resolution was always based on "guaranteed security and justice". He revealed a negotiating team, appointed through a decree, that would soon meet its US counterparts in Geneva, led by top aide Yermak.

A additional delegate from Ukraine's team, ex-defense head and national security council secretary Umerov, said they will hold discussions with the US "on the possible parameters of a future peace agreement".

Suggesting limits, Umerov 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 Concerns

Zelenskyy has attempted to engage constructively 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 the nation's independence or abandon a constitution that protects Ukraine's territorial integrity.

At a meeting held in South Africa, G20 leaders and the European Council released a collective declaration opposing Trump’s plan, saying it requires further refinement. The statement indicated that EU and Nato members would need to be consulted on some of its provisions, which rule out Ukraine's NATO accession and put conditions on its future EU accession.

Citizen Opinion in Ukraine's Capital

Ukrainian reaction to the proposal, prepared by a Russian representative and Trump’s representative, has been overwhelmingly hostile. Analysts argued it was a blueprint for another Russian invasion: not only of Ukraine but other European regions too.

Mustafa Nayyem, a public figure involved in Ukraine’s 2014 pro-democracy Maidan revolution, said it drew comparisons with the Munich Agreement. Trumps’s peace plan came from the same "recognisable genre", with the victim invited to outline its own surrender for broader convenience.

In a Facebook post, he expressed his anger by the complete pardon for Russian atrocities. It was an insult those who sought shelter in affected cities – where Russian troops executed hundreds of civilians – and families of deported children to Russian territory. "A rather cynical agreement," he concluded.

Speaking in a Kyiv subway station, Dmytro Sariskyi, 21, said that Moscow has attempted to dominate Ukraine over many years. It conceded very little in the proposed deal and maintained its forces on Ukrainian soil. In my view, this deal aims to undermine Ukraine and impose unfair terms, he remarked.

Should Ukraine accept the terms Kyiv would be forced to give up its freedoms, 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, teenager Barchan, asserted that the country 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. They are Ukrainian land." She expressed that the president is intelligent and forecasted he would not give up Ukrainian land.

While speaking during rainfall, next to a replica of Kyiv’s original medieval gate, Olena Ivanovna mentioned her appreciation to Trump for his attempts to broker peace. She said that Ukraine ought to consider to give away certain regions temporarily if it ensured maintaining US support. "President Zelenskyy should hold a referendum and ask the people," she proposed.

EU Officials Criticize the Proposal

Former European heads of state have strongly criticized the plan. Finland’s former prime minister 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" would follow.

Belgium's ex-PM, Guy Verhofstadt, quoted Churchill’s definition 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."