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Former President Trump stated this past weekend that the Moscow-drafted proposal for peace constituted "not my final offer", following fierce criticism from Ukraine's officials and commentators that compared it to the 1938 Munich agreement between Neville Chamberlain and Adolf Hitler.

During brief remarks at the White House, the US president told reporters: "We’d like to get to peace. This should have occurred earlier … we are attempting to conclude it, in any case we have to get it ended."

Forthcoming Switzerland Talks Include Various Countries

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

Prior to these discussions, American lawmakers told media outlets that State Department head Marco Rubio contacted them while en route to Geneva to clarify the nature of the leaked plan. He said, the proposal "was not the administration’s plan" but rather a "wish list of the Russians", according to Senator King, a member on the Senate Foreign Relations Committee.

Zelenskyy Confronts Critical Time Limit

However, Trump has set Zelenskyy until Thursday for signing the 28-point document. It calls on Kyiv to cede territory it currently controls to Russia, downsize the size of its army, and surrender long-range weapons. It also rules out international peacekeepers and penalties for atrocities committed by Russia.

During a solemn speech on Friday, Zelenskyy cautioned that his country confronts a difficult decision in the near future involving 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 Negotiating Team Formed for Geneva Talks

In comments this weekend, Zelenskyy said that real or respectable resolution depends on "guaranteed security and justice". He revealed a delegation, established by presidential decree, that would soon meet American representatives in Geneva, headed by his chief of staff Andriy Yermak.

A additional delegate of the Ukrainian delegation, ex-defense head and national security council secretary Rustem Umerov, stated they will hold discussions with Washington regarding potential terms for a peace deal.

Suggesting limits, he added: Ukraine enters these talks with defined goals. This represents a continuation of recent discussions focused on harmonizing our plans for future actions."

Global Reaction and Criticism

Zelenskyy has sought to participate positively with the US administration apparently intent to end the conflict on the Kremlin’s one-sided terms. He has made clear he cannot give up Ukraine’s sovereignty or disregard a constitution that enshrines the country’s current borders.

During a summit held in South Africa, G20 leaders and EU representatives released a collective declaration opposing the proposed deal, saying it needs further refinement. The statement indicated that members of the EU and NATO would need to be consulted regarding certain clauses, which rule out Kyiv’s Nato membership and impose terms on its European Union membership.

Citizen Views in Ukraine's Capital

Responses from Ukrainians to the text, prepared by a Russian representative and a US delegate, have been largely negative. Analysts argued it was a blueprint for another Russian invasion: targeting not just Ukraine but other European regions too.

Mustafa Nayyem, a public figure involved in Ukraine’s 2014 pro-democracy Maidan revolution, remarked it drew comparisons with Chamberlain’s infamous Munich deal. The proposal came from a similar category, where the affected party is asked "to formulate his own defeat so everyone else can live easier".

In a Facebook post, he said 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 for those whose children had been forcibly deported to Russian territory. A deeply cynical deal, he concluded.

Speaking in a Kyiv subway station, Dmytro Sariskyi, 21, commented that Russia had been trying to dominate Ukraine "for years". It conceded very little in the Trump agreement and maintained troops in Ukraine. "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 added. If rejected, the US might cease collaboration and intelligence exchange, a crucial source of military intelligence for frontline Ukrainian troops. Currently, there is no favorable solution, he remarked.

Diverse Perspectives from Ukrainian Citizens

A different commuter, teenager Sofia Barchan, said that the country would remain resilient lacking US backing. We will continue our struggle as needed. Crimea and the eastern regions are part of Ukraine. They are Ukrainian land." She expressed Zelenskyy was a "smart person" and predicted he would not give up Ukrainian land.

Speaking during rainfall, next to a replica of Kyiv’s original medieval gate, Olena Ivanovna mentioned her appreciation to Trump for his peace-making efforts. She suggested that the nation should be ready to give away certain regions for a limited time if it ensured maintaining US support. "President Zelenskyy should hold a referendum and ask the people," she proposed.

EU Officials Condemn the Plan

Former European heads of state have roundly condemned this proposal. Ex-PM of Finland Marin described it as a disaster, affecting not just Ukraine but for democracies worldwide. She said if Western nations display vulnerability – similar to the 2014 Crimea annexation – "more aggression and conflicts" could arise.

The former prime minister of Belgium, Verhofstadt, referenced Churchill’s definition of an appeaser 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."