Trump States Deal Plan Is Not 'Final Offer' as Delegates Assemble for Swiss Meeting
Former President Trump indicated on Saturday that the Moscow-drafted peace plan constituted not his ultimate proposal, following fierce criticism from Ukraine's leaders and analysts that likened it to the 1938 Munich agreement between Chamberlain and Hitler.
During brief comments from the White House, Trump told reporters: Our goal is to achieve peace. This should have occurred earlier … we are attempting to conclude it, one way or the other we have to get it ended."
Forthcoming Switzerland Negotiations Involve Various Countries
US and Ukrainian delegates will meet in Switzerland on Sunday to discuss this proposal. Defense representatives from France, Britain and Germany are expected to join these negotiations in Geneva.
Prior to the talks, American lawmakers told the press that Secretary of State Rubio contacted them while en route to Geneva for clarification on the nature of the leaked plan. According to him, this plan "was not the administration’s plan" but rather a "wish list of the Russians", according to Senator King, who serves on the Foreign Relations Committee.
Zelenskyy Faces Crucial Time Limit
Nevertheless, the former president has given Zelenskyy until Thursday to sign this multi-point agreement. The document requires Kyiv to give up land it currently controls to Russia, downsize its military forces, and surrender advanced weaponry. It also rules out a European peacekeeping force and penalties for atrocities committed by Russia.
In a sombre speech last Friday, Zelenskyy warned that Ukraine confronts a difficult decision over the coming days between preserving the nation's honor and losing key ally like the United States. He admitted that Ukraine is experiencing one of the most difficult moments in its history.
Ukrainian Dialogue Delegation Appointed for Geneva Talks
In comments on Saturday, the president said that genuine or respectable resolution was always based on assured safety and fairness. He announced a negotiating team, appointed by presidential decree, which will meet its US counterparts in Geneva, led by top aide Yermak.
A additional delegate of the Ukrainian delegation, former defence minister and national security council secretary Rustem Umerov, stated there would be discussions with Washington "on the possible parameters of a future peace agreement".
Hinting at red lines, Umerov added: "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."
Global Response and Concerns
Zelenskyy has sought to engage constructively with the US administration seemingly determined to resolve the war on the Kremlin’s one-sided terms. He has made clear that he will not surrender the nation's independence or abandon the constitutional framework that enshrines the country’s current borders.
During a summit held in South Africa, leaders from the G20 and EU representatives issued a joint statement opposing Trump’s plan, saying 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.
Public Opinion in Ukraine's Capital
Responses from Ukrainians to the proposal, prepared by a Russian representative and a US delegate, have been largely negative. Analysts argued it outlined a plan for further Russian aggression: not only of Ukraine but other European regions too.
Nayyem, a public figure who led Ukraine’s 2014 pro-democracy Maidan revolution, remarked it drew comparisons with Chamberlain’s infamous Munich deal. Trumps’s peace plan belonged to the same "recognisable genre", where the affected party is asked to outline its own surrender for broader convenience.
On social media, he said his anger by its "full" amnesty for Russian war crimes. This offended those who sought shelter in Bucha or Mariupol – sites of civilian executions – and families of deported children to Russia. A deeply cynical deal, he concluded.
In an interview in a Kyiv subway station, Dmytro Sariskyi, 21, said that Moscow had been trying to dominate Ukraine over many years. The agreement offered very little in the Trump agreement and continued to keep troops in Ukraine. "I think the deal is an attempt to break Ukraine and force unjust conditions on us," he remarked.
If Zelenskyy signed off on the proposals it would be compelled to sacrifice its liberties, he said. If it didn’t, the US might cease collaboration and intelligence exchange, a vital resource of battlefield information for Ukraine's forces. Currently, there is no favorable solution, he remarked.
Diverse Perspectives from the Public
Another passenger, 19-year-old Sofia 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 Zelenskyy was a "smart person" and predicted he would not give up Ukrainian land.
While speaking during rainfall, near a historical monument, Olena Ivanovna said her appreciation to the former US leader for his attempts to broker peace. She said that the nation should be ready to give away certain regions for a limited time if it ensured maintaining US support. "President Zelenskyy should hold a referendum and ask the people," she said.
EU Officials Criticize the Plan
Previous European leaders have roundly condemned the plan. Finland’s former prime minister Marin called it a catastrophe, not only for Ukraine and Ukrainians but for "all of the democratic world". She warned if the west showed weakness and ignorance – as it did in 2014 when Putin annexed Crimea – "more aggression and conflicts" could arise.
The former prime minister of Belgium, Verhofstadt, quoted a statement by Churchill of an appeaser as "one who feeds a crocodile, hoping it will eat him last". He added: "Trump now takes Putin’s side. Europe must choose again: appeasement or our values, imperialism or freedom. A critical juncture for the European Union."