Trump States Peace Plan Is Not Ultimate Proposal as Representatives Convene for Geneva Talks

Ex-leader Trump indicated on Saturday that his Moscow-drafted peace plan constituted not his ultimate proposal, following strong reaction from Ukrainian officials and analysts who likened it to a 1938 Munich agreement involving Neville Chamberlain and Adolf Hitler.

During brief comments from the White House, the US president informed reporters: Our goal is to achieve peace. This should have occurred earlier … we’re trying to get it ended, one way or the other we have to get it ended."

Forthcoming Geneva Talks Include Multiple Nations

US and Ukrainian delegates will meet in Switzerland this Sunday to discuss the plan. Defense representatives from France, Britain and Germany will also participate in these negotiations in Geneva.

Prior to the talks, US senators informed the press that State Department head Rubio reached out to them during his travel to Geneva to clarify the nature of the leaked plan. According to him, this plan did not originate from the administration but instead reflected Russian desires, according to independent Maine senator King, who serves on the Foreign Relations Committee.

Ukraine's President Faces Critical Time Limit

However, Trump has set Zelenskyy until Thursday for signing this multi-point agreement. The document requires Ukraine to give up land under its control to Moscow, reduce its military forces, and surrender long-range weapons. Additionally, it rules out a European peacekeeping force and sanctions for Russian war crimes.

During a solemn address on Friday, Zelenskyy warned that his country confronts an impossible choice over the coming days involving keeping its national dignity and forfeiting key ally in the shape of the US. Zelenskyy acknowledged that Ukraine is experiencing an extremely challenging period historically.

Ukraine's Dialogue Team Appointed for Geneva Meetings

Speaking on Saturday, the president emphasized that real or respectable peace was always based on "guaranteed security and justice". He revealed a delegation, established by presidential decree, which will meet American representatives in Switzerland, led by top aide Yermak.

Another member from Ukraine's team, former defence minister and national security council secretary Rustem Umerov, said there would be discussions with the US regarding potential terms for a peace deal.

Suggesting limits, he 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 Response and Criticism

The Ukrainian president has attempted to engage constructively with the US administration seemingly determined to end the conflict based on Russian conditions. He has emphasized he cannot give up the nation's independence or abandon the constitutional framework that enshrines Ukraine's territorial integrity.

At a meeting held in South Africa, G20 leaders and EU representatives released a collective declaration pushing back on Trump’s plan, stating it requires further refinement. The statement indicated that members of the EU and NATO must be involved regarding certain clauses, which rule out Kyiv’s Nato membership and put conditions on its future EU accession.

Public Views in Ukraine's Capital

Responses from Ukrainians to the proposal, prepared by Putin’s envoy and a US delegate, have been largely negative. Commentators said it outlined a plan for another Russian invasion: targeting not just Ukraine but of other parts of Europe too.

Mustafa Nayyem, a public figure who led the 2014 Maidan protests, said it drew comparisons with Chamberlain’s infamous Munich deal. The proposal belonged to a similar category, with the victim invited to outline its own surrender for broader convenience.

In a Facebook post, he said his anger by its "full" amnesty for Russian war crimes. 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 rather cynical agreement," he concluded.

In an interview in Kyiv’s Golden Gate metro station, Dmytro Sariskyi, 21, said that Moscow has attempted to dominate Ukraine "for years". The agreement offered "barely anything" in the Trump agreement and continued to keep troops in Ukraine. In my view, this deal aims to undermine Ukraine and impose unfair terms, he said.

If Zelenskyy signed off on the proposals Kyiv would be forced to sacrifice its liberties, he said. 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 remarked.

Varied Perspectives from the Public

A different commuter, 19-year-old Barchan, said that Ukraine would "keep strong" without American support. "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 predicted he would not cede territory.

While 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 attempts to broker peace. She suggested that the nation should be ready ceding certain regions temporarily if it ensured keeping America as a partner. "President Zelenskyy should hold a referendum and ask the people," she proposed.

EU Officials Criticize the Plan

Previous European leaders 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 – similar to the 2014 Crimea annexation – further hostilities would follow.

The former prime minister of Belgium, Guy Verhofstadt, quoted Churchill’s definition of an appeaser as someone who accommodates an aggressor. He continued: Trump aligns with Putin. Europe faces a choice between compromise and principles. Another moment of truth for our [European] union."