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Ex-leader Trump remarked on Saturday that the Moscow-drafted peace plan was "not my final offer", following fierce reaction from Ukraine's leaders and commentators that likened it to a Munich pact of 1938 between Chamberlain and Adolf Hitler.

In brief remarks from the White House, Trump told journalists: Our goal is to achieve peace. It should’ve happened a long time ago … we’re trying to get it ended, one way or the other we have to get it ended."

Upcoming Switzerland Talks Involve Various Countries

US and Ukrainian officials will meet in Switzerland this Sunday to discuss the plan. Security officials from Germany, France, and the UK are expected to join the talks there.

Ahead of the talks, US senators informed media outlets that State Department head Rubio reached out to them during his travel to Geneva for clarification on the details of this disclosed proposal. He said, the proposal "was not the administration’s plan" but rather a "wish list of the Russians", according to Senator Angus King, a member on the Senate Foreign Relations Committee.

Ukraine's President Confronts Critical Time Limit

However, the former president has given Zelenskyy a deadline of Thursday for signing the 28-point document. It calls on Ukraine to give up land it currently controls to Moscow, reduce the size of its army, and relinquish long-range weapons. Additionally, it excludes international peacekeepers and sanctions for atrocities committed by Russia.

During a solemn address last Friday, Zelenskyy warned that Ukraine faces an impossible choice in the near future involving keeping the nation's honor and losing key ally in the shape of the US. He admitted that it faces an extremely challenging period historically.

Ukraine's Negotiating Delegation Appointed for Geneva Meetings

Speaking this weekend, the president emphasized that genuine or "dignified" resolution depends on assured safety and fairness. He announced a delegation, appointed through a decree, which will meet its US counterparts in Geneva, led by his chief of staff Yermak.

A additional delegate from Ukraine's team, ex-defense head and security council official Rustem Umerov, stated they will hold discussions with the US "on the possible parameters of a future peace agreement".

Suggesting red lines, he added: "Ukraine approaches this process with a clear understanding of its interests. This represents a continuation of recent discussions focused on harmonizing our plans for future actions."

Global Response and Concerns

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

During a summit held in South Africa, leaders from the G20 and EU representatives released a joint statement opposing the proposed deal, saying it requires "additional work". It said that EU and Nato members must be involved on some of its provisions, that exclude Kyiv’s Nato membership and impose terms on its European Union membership.

Public Views in Kyiv

Ukrainian reaction to the text, drawn up by Putin’s envoy and Trump’s representative, have been largely negative. Commentators argued it outlined a plan for further Russian aggression: targeting not just Ukraine but of other parts of Europe as well.

Mustafa Nayyem, a journalist and politician involved in Ukraine’s 2014 pro-democracy Maidan revolution, remarked it invited parallels with the Munich Agreement. The proposal came from a similar category, where the affected party is asked to outline its own surrender for broader convenience.

On social media, he said his anger by its "full" amnesty for Russian war crimes. It was an insult those who sought shelter in affected cities – sites of civilian executions – and families of deported children to Russian territory. A deeply cynical deal, he stated.

In an interview in a Kyiv subway station, Dmytro Sariskyi, 21, commented that Russia had been trying to dominate Ukraine over many years. The agreement offered very little 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 might cease collaboration and intelligence exchange, a crucial source of military intelligence for frontline Ukrainian troops. "There is no good way out of this for now," he noted.

Diverse Perspectives from Ukrainian Citizens

A different commuter, teenager Barchan, said that the country would "keep strong" without American support. "We will fight for as long as it takes. Crimea and the eastern regions are part of Ukraine. They are Ukrainian land." She expressed that the president is intelligent and predicted he would not give up Ukrainian land.

Speaking during rainfall, next to a replica of Kyiv’s original medieval gate, Ivanovna mentioned she was grateful to Trump for his peace-making efforts. She said that the nation should be ready ceding certain regions temporarily if it ensured maintaining US support. The president should conduct a public vote on this matter, she proposed.

European Leaders Condemn the Proposal

Former European heads of state have strongly criticized the plan. Finland’s former prime minister Sanna Marin described it as a disaster, affecting not just Ukraine but for "all of the democratic world". She warned if the west showed weakness and ignorance – as it did in 2014 when Putin annexed Crimea – further hostilities could arise.

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