Trump Says Peace Proposal Isn't Ultimate Proposal as Officials Assemble for Geneva Meeting

Former President Donald Trump remarked on Saturday that his Russian-prepared peace plan constituted not his ultimate proposal, following fierce reaction from Ukrainian leaders and analysts that compared it to a 1938 Munich agreement involving Neville Chamberlain and Hitler.

In short remarks at the White House, the US president informed 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 Geneva Talks Include Various Nations

Ukrainian and American delegates will meet in Geneva this Sunday for discussions on this proposal. Defense representatives from Germany, France, and the UK will also participate in the talks in Geneva.

Ahead of these discussions, US senators told media outlets that State Department head Rubio reached out to them while en route to Geneva to clarify the nature of the leaked plan. He said, this plan did not originate from the administration but rather a "wish list of the Russians", as reported by independent Maine senator Angus King, a member on the Senate Foreign Relations Committee.

Zelenskyy Faces Critical Deadline

Nevertheless, the former president has set Zelenskyy a deadline of Thursday to sign this multi-point agreement. The document requires Kyiv to give up territory under its control to Moscow, downsize the size of its army, and relinquish long-range weapons. Additionally, it excludes a European peacekeeping force and sanctions for Russian war crimes.

During a solemn address on Friday, the Ukrainian leader cautioned that his country confronts a difficult decision in the near future involving preserving the nation's honor and losing a major partner like the United States. He admitted that it faces an extremely challenging period historically.

Ukraine's Negotiating Delegation Appointed for Geneva Talks

In comments on Saturday, Zelenskyy said that real or "dignified" resolution was always based on "guaranteed security and justice". He announced a negotiating team, appointed by presidential decree, that would soon meet American representatives in Switzerland, led by top aide Andriy Yermak.

Another member of the Ukrainian delegation, ex-defense head and national security council secretary Umerov, said there would be discussions with Washington "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 Criticism

The Ukrainian president has attempted to engage constructively with a White House seemingly determined to end the conflict on the Kremlin’s one-sided terms. He has made clear that he will not surrender Ukraine’s sovereignty or abandon the constitutional framework that protects the country’s current borders.

At a meeting in South Africa, leaders from the G20 and the European Council released a collective declaration opposing the proposed deal, stating it needs further refinement. The statement indicated that EU and Nato members would need to be consulted regarding certain clauses, that exclude Ukraine's NATO accession and put conditions on its European Union membership.

Citizen Views in Ukraine's Capital

Ukrainian reaction to the text, prepared by Putin’s envoy and Trump’s representative, has been overwhelmingly hostile. Analysts said it outlined a plan for another Russian invasion: targeting not just Ukraine but other European regions too.

Nayyem, a journalist and politician involved in the 2014 Maidan protests, said it invited parallels with the Munich Agreement. The proposal belonged to the same "recognisable genre", with the victim invited to outline its own surrender for broader convenience.

On social media, he said he was outraged by its "full" amnesty for Russian war crimes. This offended people who had hidden in basements in affected cities – sites of civilian executions – and for those whose children had been forcibly deported to Russian territory. "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. The agreement offered "barely anything" in the Trump agreement 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 Kyiv would be forced to give up its freedoms, he added. If rejected, the US would most likely break off cooperation and intelligence sharing, a crucial source of battlefield information for Ukraine's forces. Currently, there is no favorable solution, he noted.

Varied Viewpoints from Ukrainian Citizens

Another passenger, 19-year-old Sofia Barchan, asserted that the country would "keep strong" lacking US backing. We will continue our struggle as needed. Crimea and the eastern regions are part of Ukraine. It belongs to Ukraine." She said that the president is intelligent and forecasted he would not give up Ukrainian land.

While speaking in the rain, next to a replica of Kyiv’s original medieval gate, Ivanovna mentioned her appreciation to the former US leader for his attempts to broker peace. She said that the nation ought to consider ceding certain regions temporarily if it meant maintaining US support. "President Zelenskyy should hold a referendum and ask the people," she said.

European Leaders Condemn the Plan

Former European heads of state have strongly criticized this proposal. Finland’s former prime minister Sanna Marin described it as a disaster, affecting not just Ukraine but for democracies worldwide. She said if Western nations display vulnerability – as it did in 2014 when Putin annexed Crimea – further hostilities could arise.

Belgium's ex-PM, Guy Verhofstadt, referenced a statement by Churchill of an appeaser as someone who accommodates an aggressor. He continued: Trump aligns with Putin. Europe faces a choice between compromise and principles. A critical juncture for the European Union."