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Former President Trump indicated this past weekend that the Moscow-drafted proposal for peace was not his ultimate proposal, after strong backlash from Ukrainian leaders and analysts who compared it to the Munich pact of 1938 involving Neville Chamberlain and Hitler.

In short comments from the White House, the US president informed reporters: Our goal is to achieve peace. This should have occurred earlier … we’re trying to get it ended, in any case we have to get it ended."

Upcoming Geneva Negotiations Involve Various Countries

US and Ukrainian officials are scheduled to meet in Geneva on Sunday for discussions on the plan. Defense representatives from Germany, France, and the UK will also participate in these negotiations in Geneva.

Ahead of these discussions, US senators informed media outlets that Secretary of State Marco Rubio reached out to them while en route to Switzerland for clarification on the nature of this disclosed proposal. According to him, the proposal "was not the administration’s plan" but rather a "wish list of the Russians", according to Senator King, who serves on the Foreign Relations Committee.

Ukraine's President Faces Critical Deadline

Nevertheless, the former president has given Volodymyr Zelenskyy a deadline of Thursday for signing this multi-point agreement. The document requires Ukraine 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 sanctions for Russian war crimes.

In a sombre address on Friday, the Ukrainian leader warned that his country faces a difficult decision over the coming days between preserving its national dignity and forfeiting a major partner like the United States. Zelenskyy acknowledged that it faces an extremely challenging period historically.

Ukrainian Negotiating Delegation Formed for Upcoming Talks

Speaking on Saturday, the president said that real or respectable resolution depends on assured safety and fairness. He announced a delegation, appointed through a decree, which will meet its US counterparts in Switzerland, led by his chief of staff Yermak.

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

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

International Reaction and Concerns

Zelenskyy has attempted to participate positively with a White House apparently intent to end the conflict on the Kremlin’s one-sided terms. He has made clear that he will not surrender Ukraine’s sovereignty or abandon a constitution that protects Ukraine's territorial integrity.

During a summit in South Africa, leaders from the G20 and EU representatives released a joint statement pushing back on Trump’s plan, saying it requires "additional work". It said that members of the EU and NATO must be involved regarding certain clauses, that exclude Kyiv’s Nato membership and put conditions on its future EU accession.

Public Views in Kyiv

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

Nayyem, a public figure involved in Ukraine’s 2014 pro-democracy Maidan revolution, remarked it drew comparisons with Chamberlain’s infamous Munich deal. Trumps’s peace plan came from a similar category, with the victim invited to outline its own surrender for broader convenience.

On social media, he expressed he was outraged by the complete pardon for Russian atrocities. This offended people who had hidden in basements in Bucha or Mariupol – where Russian troops executed hundreds of civilians – and families of deported children to Russia. A deeply cynical deal, he concluded.

Speaking in a Kyiv subway station, Sariskyi, a young adult, said that Moscow has attempted to dominate Ukraine "for years". It conceded "barely anything" in the proposed deal and maintained its forces on Ukrainian soil. "I think the deal is an attempt to break Ukraine and force unjust conditions on us," he remarked.

If Zelenskyy signed off on the proposals Kyiv would be forced to give up its freedoms, he added. If it didn’t, the US would most likely break off cooperation and intelligence sharing, a crucial source of battlefield information for Ukraine's forces. Currently, there is no favorable solution, he noted.

Varied Viewpoints from the Public

Another passenger, 19-year-old Barchan, said that Ukraine would remain resilient 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 Zelenskyy was a "smart person" and predicted he would not cede territory.

While speaking in the rain, near a historical monument, Ivanovna mentioned she was grateful to the former US leader for his attempts to broker peace. She suggested that the nation ought to consider ceding Crimea and the eastern Donbas region temporarily if it ensured keeping America as a partner. "President Zelenskyy should hold a referendum and ask the people," she said.

EU Officials Condemn the Plan

Previous European leaders have strongly criticized the plan. Ex-PM of Finland Sanna Marin described it as a disaster, affecting not just Ukraine but for democracies worldwide. She said if Western nations display vulnerability – as it did in 2014 when Putin annexed Crimea – further hostilities could arise.

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."