Donald Trump Says Peace Proposal Isn't Ultimate Proposal as Delegates Convene for Geneva Talks

Former President Donald Trump indicated on Saturday that the Russian-prepared proposal for peace was "not my final offer", after intense backlash from Ukraine's officials and analysts that likened it to a Munich pact of 1938 between Chamberlain and Adolf Hitler.

During short comments at the White House, Trump told reporters: "We’d like to get to peace. It should’ve happened a long time ago … we are attempting to conclude it, one way or the other it must be resolved."

Upcoming Switzerland Negotiations Include Various Countries

Ukrainian and American officials are scheduled to meet in Geneva on Sunday for discussions on the plan. Security officials from Germany, France, and the UK will also participate in these negotiations there.

Prior to the talks, American lawmakers told the press that Secretary of State Rubio contacted them while en route to Switzerland for clarification on the nature of the leaked plan. According to him, this plan "was not the administration’s plan" but rather reflected Russian desires, as reported by Senator Angus King, a member on the Foreign Relations Committee.

Zelenskyy Faces Critical Time Limit

However, Trump has given Volodymyr Zelenskyy until Thursday to sign the 28-point document. The document requires Ukraine to cede territory it currently controls to Russia, reduce the size of its army, and surrender advanced weaponry. It also excludes international peacekeepers and penalties for atrocities committed by Russia.

In a sombre address last Friday, Zelenskyy cautioned that Ukraine faces an impossible choice in the near future involving preserving the nation's honor and forfeiting key ally like the United States. He admitted that Ukraine is experiencing an extremely challenging period historically.

Ukraine's Dialogue Team Formed for Upcoming Meetings

In comments on Saturday, Zelenskyy said that genuine or "dignified" resolution depends on "guaranteed security and justice". He announced a negotiating team, established by presidential decree, which will meet its US counterparts in Geneva, headed by his chief of staff Yermak.

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

Hinting at red lines, 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 Response and Criticism

Zelenskyy has attempted to participate positively with a White House seemingly determined to resolve the war based on Russian conditions. He has emphasized he cannot give up the nation's independence or disregard a constitution that protects Ukraine's territorial integrity.

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

Citizen Views in Kyiv

Ukrainian reaction to the text, drawn up by a Russian representative and a US delegate, 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.

Nayyem, a public figure involved in Ukraine’s 2014 pro-democracy Maidan revolution, remarked 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 outline its own surrender for broader convenience.

On social media, Nayyem expressed he was outraged by its "full" amnesty for Russian war crimes. It was an insult 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 deeply cynical deal, he concluded.

Speaking in Kyiv’s Golden Gate metro station, Dmytro Sariskyi, 21, said that Moscow has attempted to control Ukraine politically and territorially "for years". It conceded very little in the Trump agreement and maintained its forces on Ukrainian soil. "I think the deal is an attempt to break Ukraine and force unjust conditions on us," he remarked.

Should Ukraine accept the terms Kyiv would be forced to give up its freedoms, he said. If it didn’t, the US would most likely break off cooperation and intelligence sharing, a vital resource of military intelligence for Ukraine's forces. "There is no good way out of this for now," he noted.

Diverse Viewpoints from the Public

Another passenger, 19-year-old Sofia Barchan, asserted that the country would "keep strong" without American support. "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 that the president is intelligent and forecasted he would not cede territory.

While speaking during rainfall, near a historical monument, Ivanovna said she was grateful to the former US leader for his attempts to broker peace. She said that the nation ought to consider to give away Crimea and the eastern Donbas region for a limited time if it meant maintaining US support. The president should conduct a public vote on this matter, she proposed.

EU Officials Condemn the Proposal

Previous European leaders have strongly criticized this proposal. Ex-PM of Finland Marin called it a disaster, not only for Ukraine and Ukrainians but for democracies worldwide. She warned if the west showed weakness and ignorance – as it did in 2014 when Putin annexed Crimea – further hostilities could arise.

The former prime minister of Belgium, Guy Verhofstadt, referenced a statement by Churchill of an appeaser as someone who accommodates an aggressor. He added: Trump aligns with Putin. Europe must choose again: appeasement or our values, imperialism or freedom. A critical juncture for the European Union."