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Ex-leader Trump stated on Saturday that his Moscow-drafted proposal for peace was "not my final offer", after intense criticism from Ukraine's officials and analysts that likened it to the 1938 Munich agreement involving Neville Chamberlain and Hitler.

During brief comments 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, in any case it must be resolved."

Upcoming Geneva Negotiations Involve Multiple Nations

Ukrainian and American delegates will meet in Switzerland this Sunday to discuss the plan. Defense representatives from Germany, France, and the UK will also participate in the talks in Geneva.

Ahead of the talks, US senators informed media outlets that Secretary of State Marco Rubio contacted them during his travel to Geneva to clarify the details of the leaked plan. He said, the proposal did not originate from the administration but rather a "wish list of the Russians", as reported by independent Maine senator Angus King, a member on the Foreign Relations Committee.

Ukraine's President Confronts Critical Deadline

Nevertheless, the former president has set Volodymyr Zelenskyy until Thursday to sign the 28-point document. It calls on Ukraine to give up territory under its control to Russia, downsize the size of its army, and relinquish long-range weapons. It also rules out international peacekeepers and sanctions for atrocities committed by Russia.

During a solemn address last Friday, the Ukrainian leader cautioned that his country faces a difficult decision in the near future between preserving its national dignity and losing key ally in the shape of the US. He admitted that it faces an extremely challenging period in its history.

Ukraine's Negotiating Delegation Formed for Upcoming Talks

In comments this weekend, the president said that genuine or respectable resolution was always based on "guaranteed security and justice". He revealed a delegation, established through a decree, that would soon meet American representatives in Switzerland, led by his chief of staff Andriy Yermak.

A additional delegate of the Ukrainian delegation, former defence minister and national security council secretary Rustem Umerov, stated there would be consultations with Washington regarding potential terms for a peace deal.

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

International Response and Concerns

Zelenskyy has attempted to participate positively with the US administration seemingly determined to end the conflict on the Kremlin’s one-sided terms. He has emphasized he cannot give up Ukraine’s sovereignty or abandon the constitutional framework that enshrines the country’s current borders.

At a meeting held in South Africa, leaders from the G20 and the European Council released a collective declaration opposing Trump’s plan, saying it needs further refinement. The statement indicated that members of the EU and NATO would need to be consulted regarding certain clauses, that exclude Kyiv’s Nato membership and put conditions on its future EU accession.

Public Opinion in Kyiv

Ukrainian reaction to the text, prepared by a Russian representative and a US delegate, has been overwhelmingly hostile. 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 public figure who led the 2014 Maidan protests, said it drew comparisons with Chamberlain’s infamous Munich deal. The proposal belonged to the same "recognisable genre", where the affected party is asked "to formulate his own defeat so everyone else can live easier".

On social media, Nayyem said he was outraged by the complete pardon for Russian atrocities. It was an insult those who sought shelter in affected cities – sites of civilian executions – and families of deported children to Russia. A deeply cynical deal, he concluded.

Speaking in a Kyiv subway station, Sariskyi, 21, said 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. 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 it didn’t, the US would most likely break off cooperation and intelligence sharing, a crucial source of military intelligence for frontline Ukrainian troops. Currently, there is no favorable solution, he noted.

Diverse Viewpoints from the Public

Another passenger, 19-year-old Sofia Barchan, asserted that the country would remain resilient lacking US backing. "We will fight for as long as it takes. Crimea and the eastern regions are part of Ukraine. It belongs to Ukraine." She expressed that the president is intelligent and forecasted he would not cede territory.

Speaking in the rain, next to a replica of Kyiv’s original medieval gate, Ivanovna said her appreciation to Trump for his peace-making efforts. She suggested that the nation should be ready ceding certain regions for a limited time if it meant maintaining US support. "President Zelenskyy should hold a referendum and ask the people," she said.

EU Officials Criticize the Proposal

Previous European leaders have strongly criticized this proposal. Finland’s former prime minister Marin called it a disaster, not only for Ukraine and Ukrainians but for democracies worldwide. She said if Western nations display vulnerability – as it did in 2014 when Putin annexed Crimea – "more aggression and conflicts" would follow.

The former prime minister of Belgium, Guy Verhofstadt, quoted a statement by Churchill of an appeaser as "one who feeds a crocodile, hoping it will eat him last". 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."