Trump Says Peace Plan Is Not 'Final Offer' as Delegates Assemble for Geneva Meeting

Ex-leader Donald Trump remarked on Saturday that his Moscow-drafted proposal for peace constituted not his ultimate proposal, after fierce reaction from Ukraine's leaders and commentators who compared it to the 1938 Munich agreement between Chamberlain and Hitler.

In brief comments at the White House, the US president informed journalists: Our goal is to achieve peace. It should’ve happened a long time ago … we are attempting to conclude it, in any case it must be resolved."

Forthcoming Geneva Talks Involve Various Countries

Ukrainian and American officials will meet in Geneva on Sunday for discussions on this proposal. Security officials from Germany, France, and the UK are expected to join these negotiations there.

Prior to the talks, US senators told the press that State Department head Rubio contacted them during his travel to Switzerland to clarify the nature of this disclosed proposal. According to him, this plan did not originate from the administration but rather reflected Russian desires, according to Senator Angus King, a member on the Foreign Relations Committee.

Ukraine's President Faces Crucial Deadline

However, the former president has given Zelenskyy until Thursday to sign the 28-point document. It calls on Ukraine to give up territory it currently controls to Moscow, reduce its military forces, and surrender long-range weapons. It also excludes a European peacekeeping force and sanctions for atrocities committed by Russia.

During a solemn address last Friday, Zelenskyy warned that his country confronts an impossible choice in the near future involving keeping 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 Dialogue Delegation Formed for Upcoming Talks

Speaking this weekend, Zelenskyy said that real or "dignified" resolution depends on "guaranteed security and justice". He announced a delegation, appointed through a decree, that would soon meet American representatives in Switzerland, led by top aide Andriy Yermak.

A additional delegate of the Ukrainian delegation, ex-defense head and national security council secretary Rustem Umerov, stated there would be consultations with the US regarding potential terms for a peace deal.

Suggesting 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 Response and Criticism

The Ukrainian president 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 Ukraine’s sovereignty or abandon a constitution that protects the country’s current borders.

During a summit in South Africa, G20 leaders and EU representatives released a collective declaration pushing back on Trump’s plan, saying it requires further refinement. It said that members of the EU and NATO must be involved regarding certain clauses, which rule out Ukraine's NATO accession and impose terms on its European Union membership.

Citizen Opinion in Ukraine's Capital

Responses from Ukrainians to the text, prepared by Putin’s envoy and Trump’s representative, have been largely negative. Analysts said it was a blueprint for further Russian aggression: not only of Ukraine but other European regions too.

Mustafa Nayyem, a public figure who led Ukraine’s 2014 pro-democracy Maidan revolution, remarked it drew comparisons with the Munich Agreement. The proposal came from a similar category, with the victim invited "to formulate his own defeat so everyone else can live easier".

On social media, Nayyem expressed he was outraged by the complete pardon for Russian atrocities. 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 Russian territory. A deeply cynical deal, he stated.

In an interview in a Kyiv subway 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 maintained troops in Ukraine. In my view, this deal aims to undermine Ukraine and impose unfair terms, he remarked.

If Zelenskyy signed off on the proposals Kyiv would be forced to give up its freedoms, he added. 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.

Diverse Viewpoints from Ukrainian Citizens

Another passenger, teenager Barchan, asserted that the country would remain resilient 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 said 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 should be ready ceding Crimea and the eastern Donbas region temporarily if it ensured maintaining US support. The president should conduct a public vote on this matter, she proposed.

EU Leaders Criticize the Plan

Former European heads of state have strongly criticized this proposal. Finland’s former prime minister Marin described it as a catastrophe, not only for Ukraine and Ukrainians but for "all of the democratic world". She said if the west showed weakness and ignorance – similar to the 2014 Crimea annexation – further hostilities could arise.

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 must choose again: appeasement or our values, imperialism or freedom. Another moment of truth for our [European] union."