🔗 Share this article

Ex-leader Trump stated on Saturday that the Moscow-drafted proposal for peace was not his ultimate proposal, after intense reaction from Ukraine's officials and commentators who likened it to a Munich pact of 1938 involving Chamberlain and Hitler.

In brief remarks from the White House, Trump informed reporters: 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."

Upcoming Geneva Negotiations Include Various Countries

US and Ukrainian delegates are scheduled to meet in Geneva this Sunday to discuss this proposal. Security officials from France, Britain and Germany are expected to join these negotiations there.

Prior to these discussions, American lawmakers informed the press that State Department head Rubio reached out to them while en route to Switzerland for clarification on the nature of the leaked plan. He said, this plan "was not the administration’s plan" but rather reflected Russian desires, according to Senator King, a member on the Foreign Relations Committee.

Zelenskyy Faces Crucial Time Limit

Nevertheless, the former president has given Zelenskyy a deadline of Thursday to sign the 28-point document. The document requires Ukraine to cede territory it currently controls to Moscow, reduce the size of its army, and relinquish long-range weapons. It also rules out a European peacekeeping force and penalties for atrocities committed by Russia.

During a solemn speech on Friday, the Ukrainian leader cautioned that his country confronts an impossible choice in the near future between keeping the nation's honor and losing a major partner in the shape of the US. Zelenskyy acknowledged that Ukraine is experiencing one of the most difficult moments in its history.

Ukrainian Dialogue Team Appointed for Upcoming Talks

Speaking on Saturday, Zelenskyy emphasized that genuine or respectable resolution depends on "guaranteed security and justice". He revealed a delegation, established through a decree, which will meet American representatives in Switzerland, headed by top aide Andriy Yermak.

Another member from Ukraine's team, former defence minister and national security council secretary Rustem Umerov, stated they will hold consultations with the US "on the possible parameters of a future peace agreement".

Suggesting red lines, Umerov added: 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

Zelenskyy has sought to participate positively with a White House apparently intent to resolve the war based on Russian conditions. He has emphasized that he will not surrender the nation's independence or abandon the constitutional framework that protects the country’s current borders.

At a meeting in South Africa, leaders from the G20 and EU representatives released a collective declaration pushing back on the proposed deal, saying it requires "additional work". It said that EU and Nato members must be involved regarding certain clauses, which rule out Kyiv’s Nato membership and put conditions on its European Union membership.

Citizen Views in Kyiv

Ukrainian reaction to the proposal, prepared by a Russian representative and a US delegate, has been overwhelmingly hostile. Commentators said it outlined a plan for further Russian aggression: targeting not just Ukraine but other European regions as well.

Nayyem, a journalist and politician who led the 2014 Maidan protests, remarked it invited parallels with the Munich Agreement. The proposal came from the same "recognisable genre", with the victim invited "to formulate his own defeat so everyone else can live easier".

On social media, he expressed his anger by the complete pardon for Russian atrocities. This offended those who sought shelter in Bucha or Mariupol – where Russian troops executed hundreds of civilians – and for those whose children had been forcibly deported to Russian territory. "A rather cynical agreement," he concluded.

Speaking in Kyiv’s Golden Gate metro station, Sariskyi, 21, said that Moscow had been trying to dominate Ukraine over many years. The agreement offered "barely anything" 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 remarked.

If Zelenskyy signed off on the proposals it would be compelled to sacrifice its liberties, he added. If it didn’t, the US might cease collaboration and intelligence exchange, a crucial source of battlefield information for frontline Ukrainian troops. "There is no good way out of this for now," he noted.

Diverse Perspectives from Ukrainian Citizens

A different commuter, 19-year-old Barchan, asserted that Ukraine would remain resilient lacking US backing. "We will fight for as long as it takes. Our territory will remain our territory, including Crimea and the east. They are Ukrainian land." She said Zelenskyy was a "smart person" and forecasted he would not give up Ukrainian land.

Speaking in the rain, next to a replica of Kyiv’s original medieval gate, Ivanovna said her appreciation to the former US leader for his peace-making efforts. She said that the nation ought to consider to give away certain regions temporarily if it ensured maintaining US support. The president should conduct a public vote on this matter, she proposed.

EU Officials Criticize the Proposal

Former European heads of state have roundly condemned this proposal. Ex-PM of Finland Marin called it a disaster, affecting not just Ukraine but for "all of the democratic world". She said if the west showed weakness and ignorance – similar to the 2014 Crimea annexation – further hostilities could arise.

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 aligns with Putin. Europe must choose again: appeasement or our values, imperialism or freedom. Another moment of truth for our [European] union."