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Former President Trump remarked on Saturday that his Moscow-drafted proposal for peace was "not my final offer", following strong backlash from Ukrainian officials and commentators that compared it to a Munich pact of 1938 involving Chamberlain and Hitler.

During short comments at the White House, the US president informed journalists: Our goal is to achieve peace. It should’ve happened a long time ago … we are attempting to conclude it, in any case we have to get it ended."

Forthcoming Geneva Talks Include Various Countries

Ukrainian and American officials will meet in Switzerland this Sunday for discussions on the plan. Security officials from Germany, France, and the UK will also participate in these negotiations there.

Prior to the talks, US senators informed the press that State Department head Rubio contacted them while en route to Geneva to clarify the nature of the leaked plan. According to him, the proposal "was not the administration’s plan" but instead a "wish list of the Russians", according to Senator King, who serves on the Foreign Relations Committee.

Zelenskyy Faces Crucial Time Limit

Nevertheless, Trump has set Volodymyr Zelenskyy until Thursday to sign this multi-point agreement. The document requires Kyiv to cede land under its control to Moscow, downsize its military forces, and surrender long-range weapons. Additionally, it excludes a European peacekeeping force and sanctions for Russian war crimes.

During a solemn speech last Friday, the Ukrainian leader warned that his country faces a difficult decision in the near future between preserving its national dignity and forfeiting key ally like the United States. Zelenskyy acknowledged that it faces an extremely challenging period in its history.

Ukrainian Dialogue Team Appointed for Upcoming Meetings

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

A additional delegate of the Ukrainian delegation, former defence minister and security council official Rustem Umerov, said there would be discussions with the US 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 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 Criticism

The Ukrainian president has attempted to participate positively with the US administration seemingly determined to end the conflict based on Russian conditions. He has made clear he cannot give up the nation's independence or abandon the constitutional framework that enshrines the country’s current borders.

At a meeting held in South Africa, G20 leaders and EU representatives issued a collective declaration opposing the proposed deal, saying it requires further refinement. It said that members of the EU and NATO would need to be consulted on some of its provisions, that exclude Ukraine's NATO accession and impose terms on its European Union membership.

Citizen Opinion in Ukraine's Capital

Ukrainian reaction to the proposal, prepared by a Russian representative and a US delegate, have been largely negative. Analysts said it outlined a plan for further Russian aggression: targeting not just Ukraine but other European regions as well.

Nayyem, a public figure involved in Ukraine’s 2014 pro-democracy Maidan revolution, remarked it invited parallels with Chamberlain’s infamous Munich deal. Trumps’s peace plan belonged to the same "recognisable genre", with the victim invited 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 deeply cynical deal, he concluded.

In an interview in a Kyiv subway station, Sariskyi, a young adult, said that Moscow had been trying to control Ukraine politically and territorially over many years. It conceded "barely anything" in the proposed deal 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.

If Zelenskyy signed off on the proposals it would be compelled to give up its freedoms, he said. If rejected, the US might cease collaboration and intelligence exchange, a crucial source of battlefield information for Ukraine's forces. "There is no good way out of this for now," he noted.

Varied Viewpoints from the Public

Another passenger, teenager Sofia Barchan, asserted that the country would remain resilient without American support. We will continue our struggle as needed. Our territory will remain our territory, including Crimea and the east. They are Ukrainian land." She said 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 attempts to broker peace. She suggested that the nation should be ready to give away certain regions for a limited time if it meant maintaining US support. The president should conduct a public vote on this matter, she proposed.

European Officials Condemn the Proposal

Former European heads of state have strongly criticized this proposal. Ex-PM of Finland Sanna Marin called it a catastrophe, not only for Ukraine and Ukrainians but for "all of the democratic world". She said if Western nations display vulnerability – similar to the 2014 Crimea annexation – "more aggression and conflicts" could arise.

Belgium's ex-PM, Verhofstadt, referenced a statement by Churchill regarding appeasement as "one who feeds a crocodile, hoping it will eat him last". He added: "Trump now takes Putin’s side. Europe faces a choice between compromise and principles. A critical juncture for the European Union."