🔗 Share this article

Ex-leader Donald Trump stated this past weekend that his Moscow-drafted peace plan constituted "not my final offer", after fierce backlash from Ukraine's leaders and commentators that likened it to a 1938 Munich agreement between Neville Chamberlain and Hitler.

In brief remarks from the White House, Trump told journalists: Our goal is to achieve peace. This should have occurred earlier … we are attempting to conclude it, in any case we have to get it ended."

Upcoming Switzerland Negotiations Include Various Nations

US and Ukrainian officials will meet in Switzerland on Sunday to discuss the plan. Defense representatives from France, Britain and Germany will also participate in these negotiations in Geneva.

Ahead of these discussions, American lawmakers told the press that Secretary of State Rubio contacted them during his travel to Geneva for clarification on the details of the leaked plan. According to him, the proposal did not originate from the administration but rather reflected Russian desires, as reported by Senator Angus King, a member on the Senate Foreign Relations Committee.

Zelenskyy Faces Critical Deadline

However, the former president has given Zelenskyy until Thursday for signing this multi-point agreement. It calls on Ukraine to cede territory it currently controls to Russia, reduce the size of its army, and relinquish advanced weaponry. Additionally, it excludes a European peacekeeping force and penalties for atrocities committed by Russia.

During a solemn speech last Friday, Zelenskyy warned that his country confronts an impossible choice over the coming days between preserving the nation's honor and losing 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 Geneva Talks

In comments this weekend, the president emphasized that genuine or "dignified" peace depends on "guaranteed security and justice". He announced a delegation, established by presidential decree, that would soon meet American representatives in Switzerland, led by his chief of staff Yermak.

A additional delegate from Ukraine's team, former defence minister and national security council secretary Umerov, stated they will hold discussions with Washington "on the possible parameters of a future peace agreement".

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

International Response and Concerns

The Ukrainian president has sought to participate positively with the US administration seemingly determined to resolve the war based on Russian conditions. He has made clear he cannot give up Ukraine’s sovereignty or disregard a constitution that protects the country’s current borders.

During a summit held in South Africa, leaders from the G20 and EU representatives issued a joint statement opposing the proposed deal, saying it requires "additional work". The statement indicated that members of the EU and NATO must be involved regarding certain clauses, that exclude Ukraine's NATO accession and impose terms on its future EU accession.

Citizen Views in Kyiv

Ukrainian reaction to the text, drawn up by Putin’s envoy and Trump’s representative, has been overwhelmingly hostile. Analysts said it was a blueprint for further Russian aggression: not only of Ukraine but of other parts of Europe as well.

Mustafa Nayyem, a journalist and politician involved in 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 outline its own surrender for broader convenience.

In a Facebook post, Nayyem said he was outraged by its "full" amnesty for Russian war crimes. It was an insult those who sought shelter in Bucha or Mariupol – sites of civilian executions – and for those whose children had been forcibly deported to Russian territory. A deeply cynical deal, he concluded.

Speaking in Kyiv’s Golden Gate metro station, Dmytro Sariskyi, a young adult, said that Russia had been trying to dominate Ukraine "for years". It conceded "barely anything" in the proposed deal and continued to keep troops in Ukraine. "I think the deal is an attempt to break Ukraine and force unjust conditions on us," he said.

Should Ukraine accept the terms Kyiv would be forced to sacrifice its liberties, he said. If rejected, the US would most likely break off cooperation and intelligence sharing, a crucial source of battlefield information for frontline Ukrainian troops. Currently, there is no favorable solution, he noted.

Varied Viewpoints from the Public

Another passenger, teenager Barchan, said that Ukraine would remain resilient without American support. We will continue our struggle as needed. Crimea and the eastern regions are part of Ukraine. They are Ukrainian land." She said Zelenskyy was a "smart person" and forecasted he would not give up Ukrainian land.

Speaking during rainfall, next to a replica of Kyiv’s original medieval gate, Olena Ivanovna said she was grateful to the former US leader for his peace-making efforts. She suggested that the nation should be ready to give away certain regions temporarily if it ensured maintaining US support. "President Zelenskyy should hold a referendum and ask the people," she proposed.

European Leaders Condemn the Proposal

Former European heads of state have roundly condemned this proposal. Finland’s former prime minister Marin called it a disaster, affecting not just Ukraine but for "all of the democratic world". 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 added: "Trump now takes Putin’s side. Europe faces a choice between compromise and principles. Another moment of truth for our [European] union."