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Former President Trump indicated on Saturday that the Russian-prepared peace plan was "not my final offer", after intense backlash from Ukraine's officials and commentators that likened it to the Munich pact of 1938 between Neville Chamberlain and Adolf Hitler.

In short comments at the White House, Trump informed reporters: 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 Talks Include Various Countries

US and Ukrainian officials will meet in Geneva on Sunday for discussions on the plan. Security officials from Germany, France, and the UK will also participate in these negotiations there.

Ahead of these discussions, American lawmakers informed media outlets that State Department head Rubio reached out to them during his travel to Geneva for clarification on the nature of the leaked plan. He said, this plan did not originate from the administration but rather a "wish list of the Russians", according to Senator King, who serves on the Foreign Relations Committee.

Zelenskyy Confronts Crucial Time Limit

Nevertheless, Trump has set Volodymyr Zelenskyy until Thursday for signing the 28-point document. The document requires Kyiv to give up territory under its control to Moscow, reduce its military forces, and surrender long-range weapons. It also rules out international peacekeepers and penalties for Russian war crimes.

During a solemn speech last Friday, Zelenskyy warned that Ukraine confronts an impossible choice over the coming days involving preserving the nation's honor and losing key ally in the shape of the US. He admitted that it faces an extremely challenging period in its history.

Ukrainian Negotiating Team Formed for Geneva Talks

In comments this weekend, Zelenskyy emphasized that genuine or "dignified" peace was always based on "guaranteed security and justice". He revealed a delegation, appointed through a decree, which will meet American representatives in Switzerland, led by top aide Andriy Yermak.

A additional delegate of the Ukrainian delegation, ex-defense head and national security council secretary Umerov, said there would be consultations with Washington regarding potential terms for a peace deal.

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

Global Response and Criticism

Zelenskyy has sought to engage constructively with a White House apparently intent to resolve the war based on Russian conditions. He has emphasized that he will not surrender Ukraine’s sovereignty or abandon a constitution that enshrines Ukraine's territorial integrity.

During a summit in South Africa, G20 leaders and the European Council issued a joint statement pushing back on Trump’s plan, saying it requires "additional work". It said that EU and Nato members must be involved on some of its provisions, which rule out Kyiv’s Nato membership and put conditions on its European Union membership.

Citizen Opinion in Kyiv

Ukrainian reaction to the proposal, drawn up by a Russian representative and Trump’s representative, has been overwhelmingly hostile. Commentators said it outlined a plan for another Russian invasion: targeting not just Ukraine but of other parts of Europe as well.

Mustafa Nayyem, a journalist and politician who led the 2014 Maidan protests, said it invited parallels with Chamberlain’s infamous Munich deal. The proposal belonged to the same "recognisable genre", where the affected party is asked "to formulate his own defeat so everyone else can live easier".

On social media, he expressed he was outraged by the complete pardon for Russian atrocities. It was an insult people who had hidden in basements in affected cities – where Russian troops executed hundreds of civilians – and families of deported children to Russian territory. A deeply cynical deal, he concluded.

Speaking in Kyiv’s Golden Gate metro station, Sariskyi, 21, commented that Russia has attempted to control Ukraine politically and territorially over many years. It conceded "barely anything" in the proposed deal and continued to keep its forces on Ukrainian soil. 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 it didn’t, the US might cease collaboration and intelligence exchange, a crucial source of battlefield information for frontline Ukrainian troops. "There is no good way out of this for now," he noted.

Diverse Viewpoints from Ukrainian Citizens

A different commuter, teenager Sofia Barchan, said that Ukraine would remain resilient 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 forecasted he would not give up Ukrainian land.

Speaking in the rain, near a historical monument, Olena Ivanovna said her appreciation to Trump for his peace-making efforts. She said that the nation should be ready to give away certain regions temporarily if it meant keeping America as a partner. "President Zelenskyy should hold a referendum and ask the people," she proposed.

European Leaders Criticize the Proposal

Former European heads of state have strongly criticized this proposal. Finland’s former prime minister Sanna Marin described it as a disaster, not only for Ukraine and Ukrainians but for "all of the democratic world". She warned if the west showed weakness and ignorance – similar to the 2014 Crimea annexation – "more aggression and conflicts" would follow.

The former prime minister of Belgium, Guy Verhofstadt, referenced a statement by Churchill regarding appeasement 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."