Former President Trump stated on Saturday that his Russian-prepared peace plan constituted "not my final offer", following strong backlash from Ukrainian leaders and analysts that likened it to the Munich pact of 1938 between Chamberlain and Hitler.
In short comments at the White House, the US president told journalists: "We’d like to get to peace. It should’ve happened a long time ago … we’re trying to get it ended, in any case we have to get it ended."
Ukrainian and American delegates are scheduled to meet in Geneva on Sunday for discussions on the plan. Defense representatives from France, Britain and Germany will also participate in these negotiations there.
Prior to the talks, American lawmakers told media outlets that State Department head Rubio contacted them while en route to Geneva to clarify the nature of this disclosed proposal. According to him, this plan "was not the administration’s plan" but instead reflected Russian desires, as reported by Senator Angus King, a member on the Senate Foreign Relations Committee.
However, Trump has set Zelenskyy until Thursday to sign the 28-point document. The document requires Kyiv to cede territory under its control to Moscow, downsize the size of its army, and surrender advanced weaponry. It also excludes international peacekeepers and sanctions for Russian war crimes.
In a sombre address last Friday, the Ukrainian leader warned that Ukraine confronts an impossible choice in the near future between preserving its national dignity and forfeiting key ally in the shape of the US. He admitted that it faces one of the most difficult moments historically.
In comments on Saturday, the president emphasized that real or "dignified" resolution was always based on assured safety and fairness. He revealed a negotiating team, established by presidential decree, that would soon meet American representatives in Geneva, headed by top aide Andriy Yermak.
A additional delegate from Ukraine's team, former defence minister and national security council secretary Umerov, stated there would be consultations with Washington "on the possible parameters of a future peace agreement".
Suggesting red lines, Umerov noted: Ukraine enters these talks with defined goals. This represents a continuation of recent discussions focused on harmonizing our plans for future actions."
Zelenskyy has sought to engage constructively with a White House apparently intent to end the conflict based on Russian conditions. He has emphasized that he will not surrender Ukraine’s sovereignty or abandon a constitution that protects the country’s current borders.
At a meeting held in South Africa, leaders from the G20 and EU representatives issued a collective declaration opposing Trump’s plan, stating it needs further refinement. The statement indicated 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.
Responses from Ukrainians to the proposal, prepared by a Russian representative and Trump’s representative, have been largely negative. Analysts argued it was a blueprint for further Russian aggression: targeting not just Ukraine but of other parts of Europe as well.
Mustafa Nayyem, a public figure who led Ukraine’s 2014 pro-democracy Maidan revolution, said it drew comparisons with the Munich Agreement. The proposal came from the same "recognisable genre", where the affected party is asked to outline its own surrender for broader convenience.
In a Facebook post, he expressed he was outraged by the complete pardon for Russian atrocities. It was an insult those who sought shelter in affected cities – where Russian troops executed hundreds of civilians – and for those whose children had been forcibly deported to Russian territory. A deeply cynical deal, he stated.
In an interview in a Kyiv subway station, Dmytro Sariskyi, 21, commented that Moscow has attempted to control Ukraine politically and territorially "for years". It conceded very little in the proposed deal and continued to keep its forces on Ukrainian soil. "I think the deal is an attempt to break Ukraine and force unjust conditions on us," he said.
If Zelenskyy signed off on the proposals it would be compelled to give up its freedoms, he said. If it didn’t, the US might cease collaboration and intelligence exchange, a crucial source of military intelligence for frontline Ukrainian troops. Currently, there is no favorable solution, he remarked.
A different commuter, 19-year-old Barchan, asserted that Ukraine would "keep strong" without American support. We will continue our struggle as needed. 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.
Speaking in the rain, near a historical monument, Olena Ivanovna mentioned she was grateful to Trump for his peace-making efforts. She suggested that Ukraine should be ready to give away Crimea and the eastern Donbas region for a limited time if it ensured maintaining US support. "President Zelenskyy should hold a referendum and ask the people," she said.
Previous European leaders have strongly criticized the plan. Finland’s former prime minister Sanna Marin described it as a disaster, not only for Ukraine and Ukrainians but for democracies worldwide. She warned if Western nations display vulnerability – as it did in 2014 when Putin annexed Crimea – further hostilities could arise.
Belgium's ex-PM, Verhofstadt, quoted Churchill’s definition regarding appeasement as "one who feeds a crocodile, hoping it will eat him last". He added: "Trump now takes Putin’s side. Europe faces a choice between compromise and principles. A critical juncture for the European Union."
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