🔗 Share this article

Ex-leader Donald Trump indicated this past weekend that the Moscow-drafted proposal for peace was not his ultimate proposal, after fierce backlash from Ukraine's officials and commentators that likened it to a Munich pact of 1938 involving Chamberlain and Hitler.

In short remarks from the White House, the US president told reporters: Our goal is to achieve peace. It should’ve happened a long time ago … we’re trying to get it ended, in any case it must be resolved."

Upcoming Switzerland Negotiations Include Multiple Nations

Ukrainian and American delegates will meet in Switzerland on Sunday to discuss this proposal. Security officials from Germany, France, and the UK are expected to join the talks in Geneva.

Prior to the talks, American lawmakers told media outlets that Secretary of State Rubio reached out to them during his travel to Geneva for clarification on the details of the leaked plan. According to him, the proposal "was not the administration’s plan" but rather a "wish list of the Russians", according to Senator Angus King, a member on the Senate Foreign Relations Committee.

Ukraine's President Faces Crucial Time Limit

However, Trump has given Volodymyr Zelenskyy a deadline of Thursday for signing the 28-point document. It calls on Kyiv to cede land under its control to Russia, reduce its military forces, and relinquish advanced weaponry. Additionally, it rules out international peacekeepers and sanctions for atrocities committed by Russia.

During a solemn address on Friday, the Ukrainian leader warned that Ukraine faces an impossible choice in the near future between keeping its national dignity and forfeiting a major partner like the United States. Zelenskyy acknowledged that it faces one of the most difficult moments in its history.

Ukraine's Dialogue Team Appointed for Upcoming Talks

Speaking this weekend, Zelenskyy said that real or "dignified" resolution depends on assured safety and fairness. He announced a negotiating team, established through a decree, which will meet American representatives in Switzerland, led by top aide Andriy Yermak.

Another member of the Ukrainian delegation, former defence minister and national security council secretary Umerov, said there would be discussions with Washington regarding potential terms for a peace deal.

Suggesting limits, Umerov added: "Ukraine approaches this process with a clear understanding of its interests. This represents a continuation of recent discussions focused on harmonizing our plans for future actions."

International Response and Concerns

Zelenskyy has attempted 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 abandon the constitutional framework that enshrines the country’s current borders.

During a summit in South Africa, leaders from the G20 and EU representatives issued a joint statement pushing back on Trump’s plan, stating it needs further refinement. The statement indicated that EU and Nato members must be involved regarding certain clauses, which rule out Kyiv’s Nato membership and impose terms on its future EU accession.

Public Opinion in Ukraine's Capital

Responses from Ukrainians to the text, drawn up by Putin’s envoy and a US delegate, have been largely negative. Commentators said it was a blueprint for another Russian invasion: not only of Ukraine but of other parts of Europe too.

Mustafa Nayyem, a public figure who led Ukraine’s 2014 pro-democracy Maidan revolution, said it drew comparisons with Chamberlain’s infamous Munich deal. The proposal came from a similar category, with the victim invited "to formulate his own defeat so everyone else can live easier".

On social media, he expressed he was outraged 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 stated.

In an interview in Kyiv’s Golden Gate metro station, Dmytro Sariskyi, 21, said that Russia has attempted to control Ukraine politically and territorially over many years. The agreement offered "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.

If Zelenskyy signed off on the proposals Kyiv would be forced to give up its freedoms, he said. 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 remarked.

Varied Viewpoints from the Public

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

Speaking during rainfall, next to a replica of Kyiv’s original medieval gate, Ivanovna mentioned she was grateful to the former US leader for his attempts to broker peace. She said that Ukraine should be ready ceding certain regions for a limited time if it meant keeping America as a partner. The president should conduct a public vote on this matter, she proposed.

EU Leaders Condemn the Plan

Former European heads of state have roundly condemned the plan. Ex-PM of Finland Sanna Marin described it as a catastrophe, not only for Ukraine and Ukrainians but for "all of the democratic world". She warned if Western nations display vulnerability – as it did in 2014 when Putin annexed Crimea – further hostilities could arise.

The former prime minister of Belgium, Verhofstadt, quoted Churchill’s definition regarding appeasement 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. A critical juncture for the European Union."