Trump Declares Peace Plan Isn't 'Final Offer' as Officials Assemble for Swiss Summit

Former President Donald Trump indicated on Saturday that his Russian-prepared proposal for peace was "not my final offer", after fierce reaction from Ukraine's officials and analysts that compared it to the Munich pact of 1938 between Neville Chamberlain and Adolf Hitler.

In brief remarks from the White House, the US president told reporters: "We’d like to get to peace. This should have occurred earlier … we are attempting to conclude it, in any case it must be resolved."

Forthcoming Switzerland Negotiations Involve Various Countries

Ukrainian and American officials will meet in Geneva on Sunday for discussions on the plan. Security officials from France, Britain and Germany will also participate in these negotiations there.

Ahead of these discussions, American lawmakers told media outlets that State Department head Marco Rubio reached out to them while en route to Switzerland to clarify the nature of the leaked plan. According to him, this plan did not originate from the administration but instead a "wish list of the Russians", according to Senator King, who serves on the Foreign Relations Committee.

Zelenskyy Faces Critical Deadline

Nevertheless, Trump has set Volodymyr Zelenskyy until Thursday for signing this multi-point agreement. The document requires Ukraine to give up land under its control to Russia, reduce its military forces, and surrender advanced weaponry. Additionally, it excludes a European peacekeeping force and sanctions for Russian war crimes.

In a sombre address last Friday, the Ukrainian leader warned that Ukraine faces a difficult decision over the coming days between keeping its national dignity and losing key ally like the United States. He admitted that it faces one of the most difficult moments in its history.

Ukraine's Negotiating Team Appointed for Geneva Meetings

Speaking on Saturday, the president emphasized that real or respectable resolution depends on "guaranteed security and justice". He announced a delegation, established by presidential decree, which will meet its US counterparts in Switzerland, led by top aide Yermak.

Another member of the Ukrainian delegation, ex-defense head and national security council secretary Rustem Umerov, stated they will hold consultations with Washington "on the possible parameters of a future peace agreement".

Hinting at red lines, Umerov noted: "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 Reaction and Criticism

Zelenskyy has sought to engage constructively with a White House apparently intent to end the conflict based on Russian conditions. He has emphasized that he will not surrender Ukraine’s sovereignty or disregard the constitutional framework that enshrines the country’s current borders.

At a meeting in South Africa, G20 leaders and EU representatives released a collective declaration pushing back on Trump’s plan, saying it needs further refinement. The statement indicated that members of the EU and NATO must be involved on some of its provisions, that exclude Kyiv’s Nato membership and impose terms on its European Union membership.

Public Views in Kyiv

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

Mustafa Nayyem, a journalist and politician who led the 2014 Maidan protests, said it invited parallels with Chamberlain’s infamous Munich deal. Trumps’s peace plan belonged to the same "recognisable genre", with the victim invited to outline its own surrender for broader convenience.

In a Facebook post, Nayyem expressed his anger by its "full" amnesty for Russian war crimes. This offended people who had hidden in basements in affected cities – sites of civilian executions – and families of deported children to Russian territory. "A rather cynical agreement," he concluded.

Speaking in a Kyiv subway station, Sariskyi, 21, said that Russia has attempted to control Ukraine politically and territorially "for years". It conceded "barely anything" in the proposed deal and maintained 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 might cease collaboration and intelligence exchange, a crucial source of military intelligence for frontline Ukrainian troops. "There is no good way out of this for now," he noted.

Varied Perspectives from the Public

A different commuter, teenager Barchan, asserted that Ukraine would remain resilient without American support. We will continue our struggle as needed. Crimea and the eastern regions are part of Ukraine. It belongs to Ukraine." She expressed Zelenskyy was a "smart person" and forecasted he would not cede territory.

While speaking in the rain, near a historical monument, Ivanovna mentioned she was grateful to the former US leader for his peace-making efforts. She suggested that Ukraine should be ready 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 Leaders Condemn the Proposal

Former European heads of state have roundly condemned the plan. Ex-PM of Finland Marin described it as a disaster, affecting not just Ukraine but for "all of the democratic world". She said if the west showed weakness and ignorance – as it did in 2014 when Putin annexed Crimea – "more aggression and conflicts" could arise.

The former prime minister of Belgium, Verhofstadt, referenced Churchill’s definition of an appeaser as someone who accommodates an aggressor. He continued: "Trump now takes Putin’s side. Europe must choose again: appeasement or our values, imperialism or freedom. A critical juncture for the European Union."