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Ex-leader Trump stated on Saturday that the Moscow-drafted proposal for peace was "not my final offer", after strong reaction from Ukrainian leaders and commentators that likened it to the Munich pact of 1938 between Chamberlain and Hitler.

In short comments from the White House, Trump informed journalists: Our goal is to achieve peace. This should have occurred earlier … we are attempting to conclude it, in any case it must be resolved."

Upcoming Switzerland Talks Involve Multiple Countries

US and Ukrainian delegates will meet in Geneva this Sunday for discussions on the plan. Security officials from Germany, France, and the UK are expected to join the talks in Geneva.

Ahead of the talks, US senators informed the press that State Department head Marco Rubio contacted them during his travel to Switzerland for clarification on the nature of this disclosed proposal. He said, the proposal "was not the administration’s plan" but instead a "wish list of the Russians", according to independent Maine senator King, a member on the Foreign Relations Committee.

Ukraine's President Faces Critical Time Limit

However, Trump has set Zelenskyy until Thursday to sign the 28-point document. It calls on Kyiv to give up territory under its control to Russia, downsize the size of its army, and relinquish long-range weapons. It also rules out a European peacekeeping force and penalties for atrocities committed by Russia.

In a sombre speech last Friday, Zelenskyy warned that Ukraine faces an impossible choice over the coming days between preserving its national dignity and forfeiting a major partner like the United States. He admitted that it faces an extremely challenging period in its history.

Ukrainian Dialogue Delegation Formed for Upcoming Talks

In comments this weekend, Zelenskyy emphasized that genuine or respectable resolution was always based on "guaranteed security and justice". He announced 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 from Ukraine's team, ex-defense head and national security council secretary Rustem Umerov, said there would be consultations with the US "on the possible parameters of a future peace agreement".

Hinting at red lines, Umerov noted: 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 Criticism

Zelenskyy has attempted to participate positively with a White House seemingly determined to resolve the war based on Russian conditions. He has emphasized he cannot give up Ukraine’s sovereignty or disregard the constitutional framework that enshrines Ukraine's territorial integrity.

At a meeting held in South Africa, leaders from the G20 and the European Council issued a collective declaration opposing Trump’s plan, stating it needs further refinement. The statement indicated that EU and Nato members must be involved regarding certain clauses, which rule out Kyiv’s Nato membership and put conditions on its future EU accession.

Public Opinion in Kyiv

Responses from Ukrainians to the text, prepared by a Russian representative and a US delegate, have been largely negative. Commentators argued it outlined a plan for further Russian aggression: not only of Ukraine but other European regions as well.

Nayyem, a journalist and politician who led the 2014 Maidan protests, remarked it invited parallels with the Munich Agreement. Trumps’s peace plan belonged to the same "recognisable genre", with the victim invited "to formulate his own defeat so everyone else can live easier".

In a Facebook post, he expressed he was outraged by its "full" amnesty for Russian war crimes. It was an insult people who had hidden in basements in Bucha or Mariupol – where Russian troops executed hundreds of civilians – and families of deported children to Russia. A deeply cynical deal, he stated.

Speaking in Kyiv’s Golden Gate metro station, Dmytro Sariskyi, 21, said that Russia has attempted to dominate Ukraine over many years. The agreement offered "barely anything" in the proposed deal and continued to keep its forces on Ukrainian soil. In my view, this deal aims to undermine Ukraine and impose unfair terms, he said.

If Zelenskyy signed off on the proposals Kyiv would be forced to sacrifice its liberties, he said. If rejected, 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.

Varied Perspectives from Ukrainian Citizens

Another passenger, 19-year-old Sofia Barchan, said that the country would "keep strong" 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 expressed Zelenskyy was a "smart person" and forecasted he would not give up Ukrainian land.

Speaking during rainfall, near a historical monument, Olena Ivanovna said she was grateful to the former US leader for his attempts to broker peace. She said that Ukraine ought to consider to give away Crimea and the eastern Donbas region temporarily if it ensured maintaining US support. "President Zelenskyy should hold a referendum and ask the people," she proposed.

European Officials Criticize the Proposal

Previous European leaders have roundly condemned the plan. Ex-PM of Finland Sanna Marin called it a disaster, not only for Ukraine and Ukrainians but for democracies worldwide. She warned if Western nations display vulnerability – similar to the 2014 Crimea annexation – "more aggression and conflicts" could arise.

The former prime minister of Belgium, Guy 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 faces a choice between compromise and principles. A critical juncture for the European Union."