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Ex-leader Donald Trump stated this past weekend that the Moscow-drafted proposal for peace was "not my final offer", after intense backlash from Ukraine's leaders and analysts who compared it to a 1938 Munich agreement between Neville Chamberlain and Adolf Hitler.

In short comments at the White House, Trump informed journalists: Our goal is to achieve 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 Geneva Talks Include Various Nations

Ukrainian and American delegates will meet in Switzerland on Sunday for discussions on the plan. Security officials from Germany, France, and the UK are expected to join these negotiations there.

Prior to the talks, American lawmakers told media outlets that Secretary of State Marco Rubio contacted them during his travel to Geneva for clarification on the details of this disclosed proposal. He said, this plan "was not the administration’s plan" but rather reflected Russian desires, according to Senator Angus King, a member on the Foreign Relations Committee.

Ukraine's President Faces Crucial Time Limit

However, the former president has set Zelenskyy a deadline of Thursday for signing this multi-point agreement. It calls on Kyiv to give up land under its control to Russia, reduce the size of its army, and relinquish long-range weapons. It also excludes international peacekeepers and sanctions for atrocities committed by Russia.

In a sombre speech on Friday, Zelenskyy cautioned that Ukraine faces a difficult decision in the near future involving keeping its national dignity and losing a major partner in the shape of the US. He admitted that Ukraine is experiencing an extremely challenging period in its history.

Ukraine's Negotiating Team Appointed for Geneva Talks

In comments on Saturday, the president said that genuine or "dignified" resolution was always based on "guaranteed security and justice". He revealed a delegation, appointed through a decree, which will meet American representatives in Switzerland, led by top aide Yermak.

A additional delegate of the Ukrainian delegation, former defence minister and national security council secretary Rustem Umerov, said they will hold consultations with the US regarding potential terms for a peace deal.

Suggesting limits, Umerov noted: "Ukraine approaches this process with a clear understanding of its interests. 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 Reaction and Concerns

The Ukrainian president has sought to participate positively with a White House apparently intent to end the conflict on the Kremlin’s one-sided terms. He has emphasized that he will not surrender the nation's independence or abandon a constitution that protects the country’s current borders.

At a meeting in South Africa, G20 leaders and the European Council issued a collective declaration pushing back on Trump’s plan, stating it needs "additional work". It said 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 future EU accession.

Public Views in Ukraine's Capital

Ukrainian reaction to the proposal, drawn up by Putin’s envoy 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 too.

Nayyem, a journalist and politician who led the 2014 Maidan protests, remarked it drew comparisons with the Munich Agreement. Trumps’s peace plan belonged to a similar category, where the affected party is asked to outline its own surrender for broader convenience.

In a Facebook post, he expressed his anger by the complete pardon for Russian atrocities. This offended people who had hidden in basements in affected cities – where Russian troops executed hundreds of civilians – and for those whose children had been forcibly deported to Russia. A deeply cynical deal, he concluded.

Speaking in a Kyiv subway station, Sariskyi, 21, said that Moscow has attempted to dominate Ukraine "for years". It conceded very little in the Trump agreement and maintained its forces on Ukrainian soil. "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.

Diverse Viewpoints from Ukrainian Citizens

A different commuter, 19-year-old Barchan, said that the country would "keep strong" without American support. "We will fight for as long as it takes. Our territory will remain our territory, including Crimea and the east. They are Ukrainian land." She expressed that the president is intelligent and predicted he would not give up Ukrainian land.

While speaking during rainfall, next to a replica of Kyiv’s original medieval gate, Olena Ivanovna said her appreciation to the former US leader for his peace-making efforts. She said that Ukraine should be ready ceding certain regions temporarily if it ensured keeping America as a partner. "President Zelenskyy should hold a referendum and ask the people," she said.

EU Leaders Criticize the Plan

Previous European leaders have strongly criticized this proposal. Finland’s former prime minister Sanna Marin called it 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 could arise.

The former prime minister of Belgium, Verhofstadt, quoted Churchill’s definition 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. Another moment of truth for our [European] union."