Donald Trump Declares Deal Plan Isn't 'Final Offer' as Representatives Gather for Geneva Summit

Ex-leader Donald Trump stated on Saturday that his Russian-prepared peace plan constituted "not my final offer", following fierce reaction from Ukraine's leaders and commentators who likened it to the Munich pact of 1938 between Neville Chamberlain and Adolf Hitler.

During short comments from the White House, the US president told reporters: Our goal is to achieve peace. This should have occurred earlier … we’re trying to get it ended, one way or the other it must be resolved."

Upcoming Geneva Negotiations Include Various Nations

Ukrainian and American delegates are scheduled to meet in Switzerland on Sunday to discuss the plan. Security officials from Germany, France, and the UK will also participate in these negotiations there.

Prior to the talks, American lawmakers informed media outlets that Secretary of State Rubio reached out to them while en route to Switzerland for clarification on the details of this disclosed proposal. He said, the proposal "was not the administration’s plan" but instead reflected Russian desires, as reported by Senator Angus King, who serves on the Senate Foreign Relations Committee.

Zelenskyy Faces Critical Deadline

Nevertheless, Trump has set Volodymyr Zelenskyy a deadline of Thursday to sign the 28-point document. It calls on Ukraine to cede territory it currently controls to Moscow, downsize the size of its army, and surrender advanced weaponry. Additionally, it excludes a European peacekeeping force and sanctions for atrocities committed by Russia.

During a solemn speech on Friday, the Ukrainian leader cautioned that Ukraine faces an impossible choice over the coming days involving keeping the nation's honor and forfeiting a major partner like the United States. Zelenskyy acknowledged that it faces an extremely challenging period historically.

Ukraine's Negotiating Delegation Formed for Upcoming Talks

Speaking this weekend, Zelenskyy said that genuine or "dignified" peace was always based on "guaranteed security and justice". He revealed a delegation, appointed through a decree, which will meet its US counterparts in Switzerland, headed by top aide Andriy Yermak.

A additional delegate of the Ukrainian delegation, ex-defense head and security council official Umerov, said there would be consultations with the US "on the possible parameters of a future peace agreement".

Suggesting limits, he added: Ukraine enters these talks with defined goals. This is another stage of the dialogue that has been ongoing in recent days and is primarily aimed at aligning our vision for the next steps."

International Response and Concerns

The Ukrainian president has attempted to engage constructively with a White House seemingly determined to resolve the war on the Kremlin’s one-sided terms. He has made clear he cannot give up Ukraine’s sovereignty or abandon a constitution that enshrines the country’s current borders.

At a meeting in South Africa, G20 leaders and the European Council issued a joint statement opposing Trump’s plan, stating it needs further refinement. The statement indicated that members of the EU and NATO would need to be consulted regarding certain clauses, which rule out Ukraine's NATO accession and impose terms on its European Union membership.

Public Opinion in Ukraine's Capital

Ukrainian reaction to the text, prepared by a Russian representative and a US delegate, has been overwhelmingly hostile. Analysts argued it outlined a plan for further Russian aggression: targeting not just Ukraine but of other parts of Europe as well.

Mustafa Nayyem, a journalist and politician who led the 2014 Maidan protests, remarked it invited parallels with the Munich Agreement. The proposal came from the same "recognisable genre", with the victim invited to outline its own surrender for broader convenience.

In a Facebook post, he said he was outraged 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 Russia. A deeply cynical deal, he concluded.

Speaking in Kyiv’s Golden Gate metro station, Sariskyi, 21, commented that Russia had been trying to control Ukraine politically and territorially over many years. It conceded "barely anything" in the proposed deal and continued to keep troops in Ukraine. In my view, this deal aims to undermine Ukraine and impose unfair terms, he said.

Should Ukraine accept the terms it would be compelled to sacrifice its liberties, he added. If it didn’t, the US might cease collaboration and intelligence exchange, a crucial source of battlefield information for frontline Ukrainian troops. Currently, there is no favorable solution, he remarked.

Diverse Perspectives from Ukrainian Citizens

Another passenger, 19-year-old Barchan, asserted that Ukraine would remain resilient lacking US backing. "We will fight for as long as it takes. Crimea and the eastern regions are part of Ukraine. They are Ukrainian land." She said that the president is intelligent and predicted he would not cede territory.

While speaking in the rain, near a historical monument, Ivanovna said she was grateful to Trump for his attempts to broker peace. She suggested that Ukraine ought to consider ceding certain regions for a limited time if it meant maintaining US support. The president should conduct a public vote on this matter, she proposed.

EU Leaders Condemn the Plan

Previous European leaders have strongly criticized the plan. Ex-PM of Finland Marin called it a catastrophe, not only for Ukraine and Ukrainians 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 – further hostilities would follow.

The former prime minister of Belgium, Verhofstadt, quoted a statement by Churchill regarding appeasement as someone who accommodates an aggressor. He added: Trump aligns with Putin. Europe faces a choice between compromise and principles. Another moment of truth for our [European] union."