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Former President Donald Trump stated this past weekend that his Russian-prepared peace plan was "not my final offer", following intense reaction from Ukraine's leaders and analysts who likened it to the 1938 Munich agreement involving Chamberlain and Hitler.

During short remarks at the White House, the US president told reporters: "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."

Forthcoming Switzerland Talks Involve Various Countries

Ukrainian and American delegates are scheduled to meet in Geneva on Sunday for discussions on this proposal. Security officials from Germany, France, and the UK will also participate in the talks there.

Prior to these discussions, US senators informed the press that Secretary of State Marco Rubio contacted them while en route to Geneva for clarification on the details of this disclosed proposal. According to him, the proposal "was not the administration’s plan" but instead a "wish list of the Russians", according to independent Maine senator Angus King, a member on the Foreign Relations Committee.

Ukraine's President Faces Crucial Deadline

However, the former president has set Volodymyr Zelenskyy until Thursday to sign this multi-point agreement. The document requires Ukraine to cede territory it currently controls to Russia, reduce the size of its army, and relinquish advanced weaponry. It also excludes a European peacekeeping force and penalties for atrocities committed by Russia.

In a sombre speech last Friday, Zelenskyy warned that Ukraine faces a difficult decision over the coming days involving preserving its national dignity and losing a major partner like the United States. He admitted that it faces one of the most difficult moments historically.

Ukraine's Dialogue Delegation Appointed for Geneva Talks

In comments on Saturday, the president said that real or respectable resolution was always based on assured safety and fairness. He announced a negotiating team, appointed through a decree, which will meet its US counterparts in Geneva, led by top aide Andriy Yermak.

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

Hinting at red lines, 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."

Global Reaction and Criticism

Zelenskyy has sought to participate positively with a White House seemingly determined to end the conflict on the Kremlin’s one-sided terms. He has made clear that he will not surrender Ukraine’s sovereignty or disregard the constitutional framework that protects the country’s current borders.

During a summit held in South Africa, leaders from the G20 and the European Council released a joint statement pushing back on Trump’s plan, stating it requires further refinement. The statement indicated that EU and Nato members 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 Ukraine's Capital

Responses from Ukrainians to the text, prepared by a Russian representative and a US delegate, has been overwhelmingly hostile. Commentators argued it was a blueprint for another Russian invasion: not only of Ukraine but of other parts of Europe too.

Nayyem, a public figure involved in the 2014 Maidan protests, remarked it drew comparisons with the Munich Agreement. Trumps’s peace plan came from a similar category, where the affected party is asked to outline its own surrender for broader convenience.

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 affected cities – sites of civilian executions – and families of deported children to Russian territory. "A rather cynical agreement," he stated.

Speaking in a Kyiv subway station, Dmytro Sariskyi, a young adult, said that Russia has attempted to control Ukraine politically and territorially "for years". It conceded "barely anything" in the Trump agreement and maintained troops in Ukraine. 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 added. If rejected, the US would most likely break off cooperation and intelligence sharing, a vital resource of military intelligence for frontline Ukrainian troops. Currently, there is no favorable solution, he noted.

Diverse Perspectives from the Public

A different commuter, 19-year-old Barchan, asserted that Ukraine would remain resilient lacking US backing. We will continue our struggle as needed. Our territory will remain our territory, including Crimea and the east. It belongs to Ukraine." She said Zelenskyy was a "smart person" and predicted he would not give up Ukrainian land.

Speaking in the rain, near a historical monument, Ivanovna mentioned she was grateful to the former US leader for his peace-making efforts. She suggested that the nation should be ready to give away Crimea and the eastern Donbas region for a limited time if it ensured keeping America as a partner. "President Zelenskyy should hold a referendum and ask the people," she said.

European Leaders Condemn the Proposal

Previous European leaders have roundly condemned this proposal. Finland’s former prime minister Sanna Marin called it a catastrophe, affecting not just Ukraine but for democracies worldwide. She warned if the west showed weakness and ignorance – as it did in 2014 when Putin annexed Crimea – further hostilities would follow.

Belgium's ex-PM, Guy Verhofstadt, quoted a statement by Churchill of an appeaser as someone who accommodates an aggressor. He added: "Trump now takes Putin’s side. Europe must choose again: appeasement or our values, imperialism or freedom. Another moment of truth for our [European] union."