Trump Declares Peace Proposal Is Not Ultimate Proposal as Delegates Convene for Geneva Meeting

Former President Donald Trump stated on Saturday that his Moscow-drafted proposal for peace constituted "not my final offer", after fierce criticism from Ukrainian leaders and analysts that likened it to a 1938 Munich agreement between Chamberlain and Adolf Hitler.

In brief comments at the White House, the US president told reporters: 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 Geneva Negotiations Include Various Countries

Ukrainian and American officials are scheduled to meet in Geneva this Sunday for discussions on this proposal. Security officials from France, Britain and Germany will also participate in the talks in Geneva.

Ahead of the talks, US senators told the press that Secretary of State Rubio contacted them while en route to Geneva to clarify the nature of the leaked plan. According to him, this plan did not originate from the administration but instead a "wish list of the Russians", as reported by independent Maine senator Angus King, who serves on the Senate Foreign Relations Committee.

Zelenskyy Confronts Critical Time Limit

However, the former president has given Volodymyr Zelenskyy a deadline of Thursday to sign this multi-point agreement. It calls on Ukraine to give up land it currently controls to Moscow, reduce the size of its army, and relinquish advanced weaponry. Additionally, it excludes international peacekeepers and sanctions for atrocities committed by Russia.

During a solemn speech last Friday, Zelenskyy cautioned that Ukraine faces an impossible choice in the near future between keeping the nation's honor and losing key ally like the United States. Zelenskyy acknowledged that it faces an extremely challenging period in its history.

Ukraine's Dialogue Team Appointed for Geneva Talks

Speaking on Saturday, Zelenskyy emphasized that real or "dignified" peace was always based on assured safety and fairness. He revealed a negotiating team, established by presidential decree, which will meet American representatives in Geneva, led by top aide Yermak.

A additional delegate from Ukraine's team, ex-defense head and security council official Rustem Umerov, said there would be consultations with Washington "on the possible parameters of a future peace agreement".

Suggesting red lines, Umerov noted: "Ukraine approaches this process with a clear understanding of its interests. This is another stage of the dialogue that has been ongoing in recent days and is primarily aimed at aligning our vision for the next steps."

International Response and Concerns

Zelenskyy has attempted to engage constructively with the US administration apparently intent to resolve the war based on Russian conditions. He has emphasized he cannot give up the nation's independence or disregard the constitutional framework that enshrines the country’s current borders.

During a summit in South Africa, G20 leaders and EU representatives issued a joint statement pushing back on the proposed deal, saying it requires "additional work". It said that EU and Nato members must be involved regarding certain clauses, that exclude Kyiv’s Nato membership and put conditions on its European Union membership.

Public Opinion in Kyiv

Responses from Ukrainians to the text, prepared by Putin’s envoy and Trump’s representative, has been overwhelmingly hostile. Commentators argued it outlined a plan for further Russian aggression: targeting not just Ukraine but of other parts of Europe too.

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

On social media, he expressed his anger by the complete pardon for Russian atrocities. It was an insult people who had hidden in basements in affected cities – where Russian troops executed hundreds of civilians – and families of deported children to Russia. "A rather cynical agreement," he stated.

In an interview in Kyiv’s Golden Gate metro station, Dmytro Sariskyi, a young adult, commented that Russia had been trying to control Ukraine politically and territorially over many years. The agreement offered "barely anything" 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 it would be compelled to give up its freedoms, he said. If rejected, the US would most likely break off cooperation and intelligence sharing, a vital resource of battlefield information for frontline Ukrainian troops. Currently, there is no favorable solution, he noted.

Varied Perspectives from Ukrainian Citizens

Another passenger, 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 said that the president is intelligent and predicted he would not give up Ukrainian land.

While speaking in the rain, near a historical monument, Olena Ivanovna mentioned her appreciation to the former US leader for his attempts to broker peace. She said that Ukraine should be ready ceding certain regions temporarily if it ensured maintaining US support. The president should conduct a public vote on this matter, she proposed.

EU Leaders Criticize the Plan

Previous European leaders have roundly condemned the plan. Finland’s former prime minister Marin called it a disaster, affecting not just Ukraine but for democracies worldwide. She warned if the west showed weakness and ignorance – similar to the 2014 Crimea annexation – "more aggression and conflicts" could arise.

The former prime minister of Belgium, Verhofstadt, quoted Churchill’s definition regarding appeasement 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."