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Former President Trump remarked this past weekend that his Russian-prepared proposal for peace constituted "not my final offer", after intense reaction from Ukraine's officials and analysts that likened it to the Munich pact of 1938 involving Chamberlain and Adolf Hitler.

During brief comments at the White House, the US president told 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 Geneva Negotiations Include Multiple Nations

Ukrainian and American officials will meet in Switzerland on Sunday to discuss this proposal. Security officials from Germany, France, and the UK are expected to join the talks in Geneva.

Ahead of the talks, US senators told the press that State Department head Rubio reached out to them while en route to Switzerland to clarify the details of the leaked plan. According to him, this plan "was not the administration’s plan" but rather reflected Russian desires, as reported by Senator Angus King, a member on the Senate Foreign Relations Committee.

Zelenskyy Faces Crucial Deadline

However, Trump has given Volodymyr Zelenskyy a deadline of Thursday to sign this multi-point agreement. It calls on Ukraine to give up land under its control to Moscow, downsize the size of its army, and surrender long-range weapons. Additionally, it excludes international peacekeepers and sanctions for Russian war crimes.

In a sombre address last Friday, the Ukrainian leader cautioned that Ukraine faces a difficult decision in the near future involving preserving its national dignity and forfeiting key ally in the shape of the US. Zelenskyy acknowledged that it faces an extremely challenging period in its history.

Ukrainian Dialogue Team Formed for Geneva Talks

In comments on Saturday, the president said that real or "dignified" peace was always based on assured safety and fairness. He revealed a negotiating team, established through a decree, which will meet its US counterparts in Switzerland, led by top aide Andriy Yermak.

A additional delegate from Ukraine's team, 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."

Global Reaction and Criticism

Zelenskyy has attempted to engage constructively with a White House apparently intent to resolve the war based on Russian conditions. He has made clear he cannot give up Ukraine’s sovereignty or abandon a constitution that protects Ukraine's territorial integrity.

During a summit in South Africa, leaders from the G20 and the European Council issued a collective declaration opposing the proposed deal, saying it requires further refinement. The statement indicated that members of the EU and NATO would need to be consulted on some of its provisions, which rule out Kyiv’s Nato membership and put conditions on its future EU accession.

Citizen Views in Kyiv

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 public figure who led Ukraine’s 2014 pro-democracy Maidan revolution, said it invited parallels with the Munich Agreement. Trumps’s peace plan belonged to the same "recognisable genre", where the affected party is asked to outline its own surrender for broader convenience.

On social media, he expressed he was outraged by its "full" amnesty for Russian war crimes. This offended those who sought shelter in affected cities – sites of civilian executions – and families of deported children to Russian territory. "A rather cynical agreement," he concluded.

In an interview in Kyiv’s Golden Gate metro station, Sariskyi, a young adult, said that Russia has attempted to control Ukraine politically and territorially over many years. It conceded very little in the proposed deal and continued to keep its forces on Ukrainian soil. "I think the deal is an attempt to break Ukraine and force unjust conditions on us," he said.

Should Ukraine accept the terms Kyiv would be forced to give up its freedoms, he added. If rejected, the US might cease collaboration and intelligence exchange, a crucial source of military intelligence for Ukraine's forces. "There is no good way out of this for now," he noted.

Diverse Perspectives from Ukrainian Citizens

Another passenger, 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 Zelenskyy was a "smart person" and forecasted he would not cede territory.

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

EU Leaders Criticize the Plan

Former European heads of state have roundly condemned this proposal. Finland’s former prime minister Sanna Marin described it as a catastrophe, affecting not just Ukraine but for "all of the democratic world". She said if Western nations display vulnerability – as it did in 2014 when Putin annexed Crimea – "more aggression and conflicts" would follow.

Belgium's ex-PM, Verhofstadt, referenced Churchill’s definition of an appeaser as someone who accommodates an aggressor. He continued: Trump aligns with Putin. Europe must choose again: appeasement or our values, imperialism or freedom. A critical juncture for the European Union."