Ex-leader Donald Trump remarked on Saturday that the Moscow-drafted proposal for peace was "not my final offer", following intense backlash from Ukrainian leaders and commentators who likened it to a 1938 Munich agreement between Neville Chamberlain and Adolf Hitler.
During brief remarks at the White House, Trump informed journalists: Our goal is to achieve peace. It should’ve happened a long time ago … we are attempting to conclude it, one way or the other we have to get it ended."
Ukrainian and American delegates are scheduled to meet in Switzerland on Sunday for discussions on the plan. Defense representatives from Germany, France, and the UK will also participate in the talks there.
Prior to these discussions, American lawmakers informed media outlets that Secretary of State Rubio contacted them during his travel to Geneva to clarify the nature of the leaked plan. He said, the proposal "was not the administration’s plan" but instead a "wish list of the Russians", according to independent Maine senator King, a member on the Senate Foreign Relations Committee.
Nevertheless, Trump has set Zelenskyy until Thursday to sign the 28-point document. The document requires Ukraine to cede territory under its control to Russia, downsize the size of its army, and surrender advanced weaponry. It also excludes a European peacekeeping force and penalties for atrocities committed by Russia.
During a solemn address last Friday, Zelenskyy cautioned that Ukraine faces a difficult decision over the coming days involving preserving the nation's honor and losing a major partner in the shape of the US. He admitted that Ukraine is experiencing an extremely challenging period in its history.
Speaking this weekend, Zelenskyy emphasized that real or respectable resolution was always based on assured safety and fairness. He revealed a negotiating team, established through a decree, which will meet its US counterparts in Geneva, headed by top aide Andriy Yermak.
A additional delegate from Ukraine's team, ex-defense head and security council official Rustem Umerov, stated they will hold consultations with Washington regarding potential terms for a peace deal.
Hinting at limits, 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."
Zelenskyy has sought to engage constructively with a White House apparently intent to resolve the war on the Kremlin’s one-sided terms. He has made clear he cannot give up Ukraine’s sovereignty or disregard a constitution that protects the country’s current borders.
During a summit held in South Africa, G20 leaders and EU representatives issued a joint statement opposing Trump’s plan, saying it requires "additional work". The statement indicated 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 put conditions on its European Union membership.
Ukrainian reaction to the proposal, drawn up by Putin’s envoy and a US delegate, has been overwhelmingly hostile. Analysts said it outlined a plan for another Russian invasion: targeting not just Ukraine but other European regions as well.
Nayyem, a public figure who led Ukraine’s 2014 pro-democracy Maidan revolution, said it invited parallels with Chamberlain’s infamous Munich deal. The proposal belonged to the same "recognisable genre", where the affected party is asked to outline its own surrender for broader convenience.
In a Facebook post, Nayyem said he was outraged by the complete pardon for Russian atrocities. This offended 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.
Speaking in Kyiv’s Golden Gate metro station, Dmytro Sariskyi, a young adult, commented that Moscow has attempted to dominate Ukraine over many years. It conceded very little in the Trump agreement and maintained its forces on Ukrainian soil. "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 added. If rejected, the US would most likely break off cooperation and intelligence sharing, a crucial source of military intelligence for frontline Ukrainian troops. "There is no good way out of this for now," he remarked.
A different commuter, teenager Barchan, asserted that Ukraine would "keep strong" lacking US backing. "We will fight for as long as it takes. Crimea and the eastern regions are part of Ukraine. They are Ukrainian land." She said Zelenskyy was a "smart person" and forecasted he would not cede territory.
While speaking in the rain, next to a replica of Kyiv’s original medieval gate, Ivanovna mentioned she was grateful to Trump for his peace-making efforts. She said that Ukraine should be ready to give away 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.
Previous European leaders have roundly condemned this proposal. Finland’s former prime minister Sanna Marin called it a catastrophe, affecting not just Ukraine but for "all of the democratic world". She said if the west showed weakness and ignorance – as it did in 2014 when Putin annexed Crimea – further hostilities would follow.
The former prime minister of Belgium, 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 faces a choice between compromise and principles. Another moment of truth for our [European] union."
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