Donald Trump Declares Deal Plan Is Not Ultimate Proposal as Delegates Convene for Swiss Talks

Ex-leader Trump remarked on Saturday that the Russian-prepared peace plan constituted "not my final offer", following fierce criticism from Ukrainian officials and analysts that likened it to a 1938 Munich agreement between Chamberlain and Adolf Hitler.

During brief remarks from the White House, Trump informed journalists: Our goal is to achieve peace. It should’ve happened a long time ago … we’re trying to get it ended, one way or the other it must be resolved."

Forthcoming Geneva Talks Include Various Nations

US and Ukrainian officials will meet in Switzerland on Sunday to discuss the plan. Security officials from Germany, France, and the UK will also participate in the talks there.

Ahead of these discussions, US senators informed media outlets that State Department head Marco Rubio contacted them during his travel to Switzerland for clarification on the details of this disclosed proposal. According to him, the proposal "was not the administration’s plan" but instead a "wish list of the Russians", as reported by Senator Angus King, a member on the Senate Foreign Relations Committee.

Zelenskyy Faces Critical Deadline

Nevertheless, Trump has given Zelenskyy until Thursday to sign the 28-point document. The document requires Ukraine to cede territory under its control to Russia, reduce its military forces, and surrender long-range weapons. Additionally, it rules out international peacekeepers and penalties for atrocities committed by Russia.

During a solemn address last Friday, Zelenskyy cautioned that Ukraine confronts a difficult decision in the near future between preserving the nation's honor and forfeiting key ally like the United States. Zelenskyy acknowledged that Ukraine is experiencing one of the most difficult moments in its history.

Ukrainian Negotiating Delegation Formed for Upcoming Meetings

Speaking on Saturday, the president emphasized that genuine or "dignified" resolution was always based on assured safety and fairness. He revealed a negotiating team, appointed by presidential decree, that would soon meet American representatives in Switzerland, led by his chief of staff Yermak.

A additional delegate from Ukraine's team, ex-defense head and national security council secretary Rustem Umerov, said they will hold consultations with the US "on the possible parameters of a future peace agreement".

Hinting at limits, Umerov noted: Ukraine enters these talks with defined goals. 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 Reaction and Concerns

The Ukrainian president has sought to engage constructively with a White House apparently intent to end the conflict on the Kremlin’s one-sided terms. He has emphasized that he will not surrender Ukraine’s sovereignty or disregard a constitution that enshrines Ukraine's territorial integrity.

During a summit held in South Africa, leaders from the G20 and the European Council issued a collective declaration pushing back on Trump’s plan, saying it requires further refinement. It said that members of the EU and NATO would need to be consulted on some of its provisions, 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 proposal, drawn up 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 the 2014 Maidan protests, 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".

In a Facebook post, he expressed he was outraged by its "full" amnesty for Russian war crimes. 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 Russian territory. "A rather cynical agreement," he concluded.

In an interview in a Kyiv subway station, Dmytro Sariskyi, 21, said that Moscow has attempted to dominate Ukraine "for years". It conceded "barely anything" 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.

Should Ukraine accept the terms Kyiv would be forced to give up its freedoms, he added. 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 noted.

Varied Perspectives from the Public

Another passenger, teenager Barchan, asserted that the country would "keep strong" without American support. We will continue our struggle as needed. Our territory will remain our territory, including Crimea and the east. They are Ukrainian land." She expressed that the president is intelligent and forecasted he would not cede territory.

While speaking in the rain, next to a replica of Kyiv’s original medieval gate, Olena Ivanovna mentioned she was grateful to the former US leader for his attempts to broker peace. She suggested that Ukraine ought to consider to give away Crimea and the eastern Donbas region temporarily if it meant maintaining US support. The president should conduct a public vote on this matter, she proposed.

European Leaders Criticize the Proposal

Previous European leaders have strongly criticized the plan. Ex-PM of Finland Marin described it as a disaster, affecting not just Ukraine but for "all of the democratic world". She warned if Western nations display vulnerability – similar to the 2014 Crimea annexation – further hostilities could arise.

Belgium's ex-PM, Guy Verhofstadt, quoted a statement by Churchill of an appeaser as "one who feeds a crocodile, hoping it will eat him last". He continued: "Trump now takes Putin’s side. Europe must choose again: appeasement or our values, imperialism or freedom. A critical juncture for the European Union."