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Former President Donald Trump stated on Saturday that his Russian-prepared proposal for peace constituted "not my final offer", after strong backlash from Ukraine's officials and commentators who compared it to the 1938 Munich agreement between Neville Chamberlain and Adolf Hitler.

In brief comments from the White House, Trump informed journalists: Our goal is to achieve peace. It should’ve happened a long time ago … we are attempting to conclude it, in any case we have to get it ended."

Forthcoming Switzerland Negotiations Include Multiple Countries

US and Ukrainian officials will meet in Geneva on Sunday to discuss this proposal. Security officials from Germany, France, and the UK are expected to join these negotiations there.

Prior to these discussions, American lawmakers informed the press that State Department head Rubio reached out to them while en route to Switzerland to clarify the nature of the leaked plan. He said, the proposal did not originate from the administration but instead a "wish list of the Russians", as reported by Senator King, who serves on the Senate Foreign Relations Committee.

Ukraine's President Confronts Crucial Time Limit

However, Trump has set Zelenskyy a deadline of Thursday to sign the 28-point document. The document requires Ukraine to give up territory it currently controls to Moscow, reduce the size of its army, and surrender advanced weaponry. Additionally, it excludes a European peacekeeping force and sanctions for atrocities committed by Russia.

During a solemn address last Friday, the Ukrainian leader cautioned that Ukraine faces an impossible choice over the coming days between keeping the nation's honor and losing a major partner in the shape of the US. Zelenskyy acknowledged that Ukraine is experiencing an extremely challenging period in its history.

Ukrainian Dialogue Delegation Formed for Upcoming Talks

In comments this weekend, Zelenskyy said that genuine or "dignified" peace depends on "guaranteed security and justice". He announced a delegation, established through a decree, which will meet American representatives in Geneva, headed by top aide Yermak.

A additional delegate of the Ukrainian delegation, former defence minister and security council official Rustem Umerov, stated they will hold discussions with Washington regarding potential terms for a peace deal.

Hinting at limits, 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."

International Response and Criticism

The Ukrainian president has attempted to engage constructively with a White House seemingly determined to resolve the war based on Russian conditions. He has made clear he cannot give up the nation's independence or disregard a constitution that enshrines the country’s current borders.

During a summit in South Africa, leaders from the G20 and the European Council released a joint statement opposing Trump’s plan, saying it needs "additional work". The statement indicated that EU and Nato members must be involved regarding certain clauses, which rule out Ukraine's NATO accession and put conditions on its future EU accession.

Citizen Opinion in Ukraine's Capital

Ukrainian reaction to the text, drawn up by a Russian representative and a US delegate, has been overwhelmingly hostile. Analysts said it was a blueprint for further Russian aggression: not only of Ukraine but of other parts of Europe too.

Nayyem, a journalist and politician involved in the 2014 Maidan protests, said it drew comparisons with the Munich Agreement. Trumps’s peace plan belonged to a similar category, with the victim invited to outline its own surrender for broader convenience.

On social media, Nayyem said he was outraged 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 rather cynical agreement," he stated.

In an interview in a Kyiv subway station, Dmytro Sariskyi, 21, said that Moscow has attempted to control Ukraine politically and territorially "for years". The agreement offered "barely anything" 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 said. If it didn’t, the US would most likely break off cooperation and intelligence sharing, a vital resource of military intelligence for Ukraine's forces. "There is no good way out of this for now," he noted.

Varied Perspectives from the Public

Another passenger, teenager Barchan, asserted that the country would remain resilient 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 said that the president is intelligent and forecasted he would not give up Ukrainian land.

Speaking in the rain, near a historical monument, Olena Ivanovna mentioned her appreciation to Trump for his peace-making efforts. She said that the nation ought to consider to give away Crimea and the eastern Donbas region temporarily if it ensured maintaining US support. The president should conduct a public vote on this matter, she proposed.

EU Officials Condemn the Plan

Former European heads of state have strongly criticized this proposal. Ex-PM of Finland Sanna Marin described it as a catastrophe, affecting not just Ukraine but for democracies worldwide. She said if Western nations display vulnerability – as it did in 2014 when Putin annexed Crimea – "more aggression and conflicts" could arise.

The former prime minister of Belgium, Guy Verhofstadt, referenced Churchill’s definition of an appeaser as someone who accommodates an aggressor. 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."