Donald Trump Says Deal Proposal Is Not Ultimate Proposal as Representatives Gather for Swiss Summit

Former President Trump remarked on Saturday that the Moscow-drafted proposal for peace was not his ultimate proposal, after fierce reaction from Ukraine's leaders and analysts who compared it to the Munich pact of 1938 involving Chamberlain and Hitler.

In brief remarks at the White House, Trump informed journalists: "We’d like to get to peace. It should’ve happened a long time ago … we are attempting to conclude it, one way or the other we have to get it ended."

Forthcoming Switzerland Negotiations Include Multiple Nations

US and Ukrainian delegates are scheduled to meet in Switzerland on Sunday for discussions on the plan. Defense representatives from France, Britain and Germany are expected to join these negotiations in Geneva.

Ahead of these discussions, American lawmakers informed media outlets that Secretary of State Rubio reached out to them while en route to Geneva for clarification on the details of the leaked plan. According to him, this plan "was not the administration’s plan" but instead a "wish list of the Russians", according to Senator King, a member on the Foreign Relations Committee.

Zelenskyy Faces Crucial Time Limit

However, the former president has given Zelenskyy until Thursday to sign the 28-point document. The document requires Kyiv to give up land under its control to Russia, reduce its military forces, and relinquish long-range weapons. It also excludes international peacekeepers and penalties for atrocities committed by Russia.

During a solemn speech last Friday, the Ukrainian leader cautioned that his country faces an impossible choice over the coming days between preserving the nation's honor and forfeiting a major partner in the shape of the US. Zelenskyy acknowledged that Ukraine is experiencing one of the most difficult moments in its history.

Ukrainian Negotiating Team Formed for Geneva Meetings

Speaking this weekend, the president said that real or "dignified" resolution was always based on "guaranteed security and justice". He revealed a delegation, established through a decree, which will meet American representatives in Geneva, led by his chief of staff Andriy Yermak.

Another member from Ukraine's team, ex-defense head and national security council secretary Rustem Umerov, said there would be discussions with Washington regarding potential terms for a peace deal.

Hinting at red lines, he 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 Reaction 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 emphasized he cannot give up the nation's independence or abandon the constitutional framework that enshrines the country’s current borders.

During a summit held in South Africa, G20 leaders and the European Council issued a joint statement pushing back on Trump’s plan, saying it requires "additional work". The statement indicated that EU and Nato members must be involved on some of its provisions, that exclude Kyiv’s Nato membership and impose terms on its European Union membership.

Citizen Views in Ukraine's Capital

Ukrainian reaction to the text, drawn up by a Russian representative and Trump’s representative, has been overwhelmingly hostile. Commentators said it outlined a plan for another Russian invasion: not only of Ukraine but other European regions as well.

Mustafa Nayyem, a public figure who led the 2014 Maidan protests, said it invited parallels with the Munich Agreement. Trumps’s peace plan came from the same "recognisable genre", where the affected party is asked to outline its own surrender for broader convenience.

In a Facebook post, Nayyem expressed he was outraged by the complete pardon for Russian atrocities. It was an insult people who had hidden in basements in Bucha or Mariupol – sites of civilian executions – and for those whose children had been forcibly deported to Russian territory. "A rather cynical agreement," he stated.

Speaking in a Kyiv subway station, Dmytro Sariskyi, a young adult, commented that Moscow has attempted to dominate Ukraine over many years. It conceded "barely anything" in the Trump agreement and maintained troops in Ukraine. "I think the deal is an attempt to break Ukraine and force unjust conditions on us," he said.

Should Ukraine accept the terms it would be compelled to give up its freedoms, he said. If it didn’t, the US would most likely break off cooperation and intelligence sharing, a crucial source of military intelligence for Ukraine's forces. Currently, there is no favorable solution, he remarked.

Varied Perspectives from the Public

A different commuter, teenager Sofia Barchan, asserted that the country would "keep strong" without American support. We will continue our struggle as needed. Crimea and the eastern regions are part of Ukraine. They are Ukrainian land." She expressed Zelenskyy was a "smart person" and predicted he would not give up Ukrainian land.

Speaking during rainfall, near a historical monument, Ivanovna mentioned her appreciation to the former US leader for his attempts to broker peace. She suggested that the nation should be ready ceding Crimea and the eastern Donbas region for a limited time if it meant keeping America as a partner. "President Zelenskyy should hold a referendum and ask the people," she said.

European Leaders Condemn the Plan

Previous European leaders have strongly criticized this proposal. Ex-PM of Finland Marin described it as a catastrophe, affecting not just Ukraine but for democracies worldwide. She said if Western nations display vulnerability – as it did in 2014 when Putin annexed Crimea – "more aggression and conflicts" could arise.

The former prime minister of Belgium, Guy Verhofstadt, referenced 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."