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Ex-leader Donald Trump remarked on Saturday that the Moscow-drafted proposal for peace constituted "not my final offer", following strong reaction from Ukrainian leaders and commentators who likened it to a 1938 Munich agreement involving Chamberlain and Hitler.

In brief remarks at the White House, the US president informed journalists: Our goal is to achieve peace. It should’ve happened a long time ago … we’re trying to get it ended, in any case we have to get it ended."

Upcoming Switzerland Talks Include Various Countries

US and Ukrainian delegates are scheduled to meet in Switzerland on Sunday for discussions on the plan. Security officials from Germany, France, and the UK are expected to join the talks there.

Prior to these discussions, American lawmakers told the press that State Department head Rubio contacted them during his travel to Geneva to clarify the details of the leaked plan. According to him, this plan "was not the administration’s plan" but rather reflected Russian desires, according to Senator King, who serves on the Foreign Relations Committee.

Ukraine's President Faces Critical Deadline

Nevertheless, the former president has given Zelenskyy a deadline of Thursday for signing this multi-point agreement. It calls on Ukraine to give up land under its control to Moscow, downsize its military forces, and relinquish long-range weapons. Additionally, it excludes a European peacekeeping force and penalties for atrocities committed by Russia.

In a sombre address last Friday, the Ukrainian leader warned that his country confronts an impossible choice over the coming days between keeping its national dignity and losing a major partner like the United States. Zelenskyy acknowledged that it faces one of the most difficult moments in its history.

Ukrainian Negotiating Delegation Appointed for Geneva Meetings

In comments this weekend, Zelenskyy emphasized that genuine or "dignified" resolution was always based on assured safety and fairness. He revealed a negotiating team, established through a decree, which will meet its US counterparts in Geneva, led by his chief of staff Andriy Yermak.

Another member from Ukraine's team, former defence minister and national security council secretary Rustem Umerov, said there would be discussions with Washington regarding potential terms for a peace deal.

Hinting at limits, Umerov added: "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

The Ukrainian president has sought to engage constructively with a White House apparently intent to resolve the war based on Russian conditions. He has emphasized he cannot give up Ukraine’s sovereignty or abandon a constitution that enshrines Ukraine's territorial integrity.

During a summit held in South Africa, G20 leaders and EU representatives released a joint statement opposing Trump’s plan, saying it needs "additional work". The statement indicated that members of the EU and NATO would need to be consulted on some of its provisions, that exclude Ukraine's NATO accession and impose terms on its future EU accession.

Public Opinion in Ukraine's Capital

Responses from Ukrainians to the proposal, prepared by Putin’s envoy and a US delegate, has been overwhelmingly hostile. Analysts argued it outlined a plan for further Russian aggression: targeting not just Ukraine but of other parts of Europe too.

Mustafa Nayyem, a public figure involved in Ukraine’s 2014 pro-democracy Maidan revolution, said it drew comparisons with the Munich Agreement. Trumps’s peace plan came from a similar category, where the affected party is asked "to formulate his own defeat so everyone else can live easier".

In a Facebook post, Nayyem said his anger by its "full" amnesty for Russian war crimes. This offended people who had hidden in basements in Bucha or Mariupol – sites of civilian executions – and for those whose children had been forcibly deported to Russia. "A rather cynical agreement," he stated.

In an interview in Kyiv’s Golden Gate metro station, Sariskyi, 21, said that Russia had been trying to dominate Ukraine "for years". The agreement offered very little in the Trump agreement and continued to keep its forces on Ukrainian soil. In my view, this deal aims to undermine Ukraine and impose unfair terms, he remarked.

Should Ukraine accept the terms it would be compelled to give up its freedoms, he said. If it didn’t, the US might cease collaboration and intelligence exchange, a crucial source of military intelligence for frontline Ukrainian troops. Currently, there is no favorable solution, he noted.

Varied Perspectives from Ukrainian Citizens

Another passenger, teenager Sofia Barchan, asserted that Ukraine would remain resilient without American support. We will continue our struggle as needed. Our territory will remain our territory, including Crimea and the east. They are Ukrainian land." She said Zelenskyy was a "smart person" and predicted he would not give up Ukrainian land.

Speaking during rainfall, next to a replica of Kyiv’s original medieval gate, Ivanovna mentioned she was grateful to the former US leader for his attempts to broker peace. She suggested that Ukraine should be ready ceding 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 said.

European Leaders Criticize the Proposal

Previous European leaders have strongly criticized this proposal. Ex-PM of Finland Sanna Marin described it as a disaster, not only for Ukraine and Ukrainians but for "all of the democratic world". She said if Western nations display vulnerability – similar to the 2014 Crimea annexation – further hostilities would follow.

The former prime minister of Belgium, 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. Another moment of truth for our [European] union."