Donald Trump Declares Peace Plan Isn't Ultimate Proposal as Delegates Gather for Swiss Summit

Former President Trump indicated on Saturday that his Russian-prepared proposal for peace was not his ultimate proposal, after intense criticism from Ukrainian leaders and analysts that compared it to the Munich pact of 1938 between Neville Chamberlain and Hitler.

During short comments at the White House, the US president informed journalists: "We’d like to get to 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 Involve Multiple Nations

Ukrainian and American officials will meet in Switzerland this Sunday to discuss this proposal. Defense representatives from France, Britain and Germany will also participate in the talks in Geneva.

Ahead of these discussions, US senators told the press that State Department head Rubio reached out to them while en route to Geneva for clarification on the nature of the leaked plan. He said, the proposal "was not the administration’s plan" but rather a "wish list of the Russians", as reported by independent Maine senator Angus King, a member on the Senate Foreign Relations Committee.

Ukraine's President Faces Crucial Deadline

Nevertheless, the former president has given Zelenskyy a deadline of Thursday for signing the 28-point document. The document requires Kyiv to give up land under its control to Russia, reduce the size of its army, and relinquish long-range weapons. Additionally, it rules out a European peacekeeping force and sanctions for atrocities committed by Russia.

During a solemn address last Friday, the Ukrainian leader warned that his country faces a difficult decision in the near future involving preserving its national dignity and losing key ally in the shape of the US. He admitted that Ukraine is experiencing an extremely challenging period historically.

Ukrainian Negotiating Team Appointed for Geneva Meetings

Speaking on Saturday, the president emphasized that genuine or respectable resolution depends on assured safety and fairness. He revealed a negotiating team, established through a decree, which will meet American representatives in Switzerland, headed by his chief of staff Yermak.

A additional delegate from Ukraine's team, former defence minister and security council official Umerov, said there would be consultations with Washington regarding potential terms for a peace deal.

Suggesting limits, he noted: Ukraine enters these talks with defined goals. This represents a continuation of recent discussions focused on harmonizing our plans for future actions."

Global Response and Criticism

Zelenskyy has attempted to engage constructively with the US administration seemingly determined to end the conflict on the Kremlin’s one-sided terms. He has made clear that he will not surrender the nation's independence or abandon a constitution that protects the country’s current borders.

At a meeting held in South Africa, leaders from the G20 and EU representatives issued a collective declaration opposing Trump’s plan, stating it requires further refinement. The statement indicated that EU and Nato members would need to be consulted on some of its provisions, that exclude Kyiv’s Nato membership and impose terms on its European Union membership.

Citizen Opinion in Ukraine's Capital

Ukrainian reaction to the text, prepared by Putin’s envoy and Trump’s representative, has been overwhelmingly hostile. Commentators said it was a blueprint for further Russian aggression: not only of Ukraine but other European regions too.

Mustafa Nayyem, a public figure involved in Ukraine’s 2014 pro-democracy Maidan revolution, remarked it invited parallels with Chamberlain’s infamous Munich deal. Trumps’s peace plan came from a similar category, where the affected party is asked 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 those who sought shelter in Bucha or Mariupol – sites of civilian executions – and families of deported children to Russia. "A rather cynical agreement," he concluded.

In an interview in Kyiv’s Golden Gate metro station, Dmytro Sariskyi, 21, commented that Moscow had been trying to control Ukraine politically and territorially "for years". The agreement offered very little in the proposed deal and maintained its forces on Ukrainian soil. "I think the deal is an attempt to break Ukraine and force unjust conditions on us," he said.

Should Ukraine accept the terms Kyiv would be forced to sacrifice its liberties, he added. If it didn’t, 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.

Diverse Viewpoints from Ukrainian Citizens

Another passenger, 19-year-old Sofia Barchan, said that the country would "keep strong" without American support. We will continue our struggle as needed. Our territory will remain our territory, including Crimea and the east. They are Ukrainian land." She expressed that the president is intelligent and predicted he would not give up Ukrainian land.

While speaking in the rain, near a historical monument, Ivanovna said she was grateful to Trump for his attempts to broker peace. She said that the nation ought to consider to give away certain regions temporarily if it meant maintaining US support. "President Zelenskyy should hold a referendum and ask the people," she proposed.

European Leaders Condemn the Plan

Previous European leaders have roundly condemned the plan. Ex-PM of Finland Sanna Marin described it as a catastrophe, affecting not just Ukraine but for "all of the democratic world". She warned if the west showed weakness and ignorance – 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 aligns with Putin. Europe must choose again: appeasement or our values, imperialism or freedom. Another moment of truth for our [European] union."