🔗 Share this article Trump States Peace Proposal Isn't Ultimate Proposal as Representatives Convene for Swiss Talks Ex-leader Trump remarked on Saturday that the Moscow-drafted proposal for peace was "not my final offer", after intense backlash from Ukrainian leaders and analysts that likened it to the 1938 Munich agreement between Neville Chamberlain and Hitler. During brief remarks from the White House, Trump 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 it must be resolved." Forthcoming Switzerland Negotiations Involve Multiple Nations US and Ukrainian delegates are scheduled to meet in Geneva on Sunday for discussions on this proposal. Defense representatives from France, Britain and Germany will also participate in these negotiations there. Ahead of these discussions, US senators informed media outlets that Secretary of State Marco 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", according to independent Maine senator Angus King, who serves on the Senate Foreign Relations Committee. Zelenskyy Confronts Critical Deadline However, the former president has set Volodymyr Zelenskyy a deadline of Thursday to sign this multi-point agreement. The document requires Ukraine to cede land it currently controls to Russia, downsize the size of its army, and surrender advanced weaponry. It also excludes international peacekeepers and sanctions for Russian war crimes. In a sombre address on Friday, Zelenskyy warned that his country confronts a difficult decision over the coming days between keeping its national dignity and losing a major partner like the United States. He admitted that Ukraine is experiencing an extremely challenging period historically. Ukrainian Dialogue Team Appointed for Upcoming Talks In comments on Saturday, the president said that real or respectable peace depends on "guaranteed security and justice". He revealed a delegation, appointed by presidential decree, that would soon meet its US counterparts in Switzerland, headed by top aide Yermak. A additional delegate from Ukraine's team, ex-defense head and security council official Rustem Umerov, said they will hold discussions with Washington "on the possible parameters of a future peace agreement". Hinting at limits, he 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." Global Response and Criticism Zelenskyy has sought to participate positively with a White House apparently intent to end the conflict on the Kremlin’s one-sided terms. He has made clear he cannot give up the nation's independence or disregard the constitutional framework that protects the country’s current borders. During a summit in South Africa, leaders from the G20 and EU representatives released a collective declaration pushing back on Trump’s plan, saying it needs "additional work". It said 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. Public Opinion in Ukraine's Capital Ukrainian reaction to the proposal, drawn up by a Russian representative and Trump’s representative, have been largely negative. Analysts said it outlined a plan for another Russian invasion: targeting not just Ukraine but of other parts of Europe as well. Mustafa Nayyem, a journalist and politician who led Ukraine’s 2014 pro-democracy Maidan revolution, said it drew comparisons with the Munich Agreement. The proposal belonged to a similar category, with the victim invited to outline its own surrender for broader convenience. On social media, he said his anger by its "full" amnesty for Russian war crimes. This offended people who had hidden in basements in affected cities – where Russian troops executed hundreds of civilians – and families of deported children to Russian territory. A deeply cynical deal, he stated. Speaking in a Kyiv subway station, Dmytro Sariskyi, 21, commented that Moscow has attempted to dominate Ukraine "for years". It conceded very little in the proposed deal and maintained troops in Ukraine. In my view, this deal aims to undermine Ukraine and impose unfair terms, he remarked. Should Ukraine accept the terms Kyiv would be forced to give up its freedoms, he added. If rejected, the US might cease collaboration and intelligence exchange, a crucial source of battlefield information for frontline Ukrainian troops. "There is no good way out of this for now," he noted. Varied Viewpoints from Ukrainian Citizens Another passenger, 19-year-old Sofia Barchan, asserted that Ukraine would "keep strong" without American support. "We will fight for as long as it takes. Crimea and the eastern regions are part of Ukraine. It belongs to Ukraine." She said Zelenskyy was a "smart person" and predicted he would not cede territory. Speaking in the rain, next to a replica of Kyiv’s original medieval gate, Olena Ivanovna mentioned she was grateful to Trump for his peace-making efforts. She suggested that the nation ought to consider ceding certain regions temporarily if it ensured maintaining US support. The president should conduct a public vote on this matter, she proposed. European Leaders Criticize the Plan Previous European leaders have roundly condemned this proposal. Ex-PM of Finland Marin described it as a disaster, affecting not just Ukraine but for democracies worldwide. She warned if Western nations display vulnerability – as it did in 2014 when Putin annexed Crimea – further hostilities would follow. The former prime minister of Belgium, Guy Verhofstadt, quoted a statement by Churchill 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. A critical juncture for the European Union."