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Former President Trump indicated on Saturday that the Moscow-drafted proposal for peace was not his ultimate proposal, after strong backlash from Ukrainian officials and commentators who likened it to the 1938 Munich agreement involving Neville Chamberlain and Hitler.

During short remarks at the White House, Trump informed reporters: "We’d like to get to peace. This should have occurred earlier … we’re trying to get it ended, one way or the other it must be resolved."

Forthcoming Switzerland Talks Include Various Nations

US and Ukrainian officials are scheduled to meet in Switzerland this Sunday for discussions on the plan. Defense representatives from France, Britain and Germany will also participate in the talks there.

Ahead of these discussions, US senators informed the press that Secretary of State Marco Rubio contacted them while en route to Geneva to clarify the nature of the leaked plan. According to him, this plan "was not the administration’s plan" but instead a "wish list of the Russians", according to independent Maine senator King, who serves on the Senate Foreign Relations Committee.

Zelenskyy Faces Crucial Deadline

Nevertheless, the former president has given Volodymyr Zelenskyy until Thursday to sign the 28-point document. It calls on Kyiv to cede land it currently controls to Russia, reduce the size of its army, and surrender long-range weapons. Additionally, it rules out a European peacekeeping force and sanctions for Russian war crimes.

In a sombre address last Friday, Zelenskyy cautioned that Ukraine faces a difficult decision in the near future between preserving its national dignity and losing a major partner like the United States. He admitted that it faces one of the most difficult moments in its history.

Ukraine's Negotiating Team Formed for Upcoming Talks

Speaking on Saturday, Zelenskyy said that genuine or respectable resolution depends on assured safety and fairness. He revealed a delegation, appointed through a decree, which will meet American representatives in Geneva, headed by top aide Yermak.

A additional delegate from Ukraine's team, former defence minister and national security council secretary Rustem Umerov, stated there would be consultations with the US "on the possible parameters of a future peace agreement".

Hinting at red lines, he 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."

International Reaction and Concerns

Zelenskyy has attempted to engage constructively with the US administration apparently intent to end the conflict based on Russian conditions. He has emphasized he cannot give up Ukraine’s sovereignty or disregard the constitutional framework that enshrines the country’s current borders.

During a summit held in South Africa, leaders from the G20 and the European Council released a joint statement opposing the proposed deal, stating it needs "additional work". The statement indicated that EU and Nato members must be involved on some of its provisions, that exclude Kyiv’s Nato membership and impose terms on its future EU accession.

Citizen Opinion in Kyiv

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

Mustafa Nayyem, a public figure involved in the 2014 Maidan protests, said it drew comparisons with the Munich Agreement. Trumps’s peace plan came from the same "recognisable genre", where the affected party is asked "to formulate his own defeat so everyone else can live easier".

On social media, Nayyem said his anger by the complete pardon for Russian atrocities. This offended those who sought shelter in Bucha or Mariupol – sites of civilian executions – and for those whose children had been forcibly deported to Russia. A deeply cynical deal, he concluded.

In an interview in a Kyiv subway station, Sariskyi, a young adult, said that Russia had been trying to control Ukraine politically and territorially over many years. It conceded very little in the proposed deal and continued to keep troops in Ukraine. In my view, this deal aims to undermine Ukraine and impose unfair terms, he remarked.

Should Ukraine accept the terms Kyiv would be forced to sacrifice its liberties, he added. If it didn’t, the US would most likely break off cooperation and intelligence sharing, a crucial source of battlefield information for frontline Ukrainian troops. Currently, there is no favorable solution, he remarked.

Diverse Viewpoints from the Public

A different commuter, teenager Sofia Barchan, asserted that the country would "keep strong" without American support. "We will fight for as long as it takes. Our territory will remain our territory, including Crimea and the east. It belongs to Ukraine." She said that the president is intelligent and forecasted he would not give up Ukrainian land.

Speaking in the rain, next to a replica of Kyiv’s original medieval gate, Ivanovna said she was grateful to Trump for his peace-making efforts. She suggested that Ukraine should be ready ceding certain regions for a limited time if it ensured maintaining US support. "President Zelenskyy should hold a referendum and ask the people," she proposed.

European Officials Condemn the Proposal

Previous European leaders have strongly criticized the plan. Ex-PM of Finland Sanna Marin called it a catastrophe, affecting not just Ukraine but for democracies worldwide. She said if the west showed weakness and ignorance – as it did in 2014 when Putin annexed Crimea – further hostilities would follow.

The former prime minister of Belgium, Guy Verhofstadt, quoted a statement by Churchill of an appeaser as "one who feeds a crocodile, hoping it will eat him last". He added: Trump aligns with Putin. Europe must choose again: appeasement or our values, imperialism or freedom. Another moment of truth for our [European] union."