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Ex-leader Trump stated on Saturday that his Russian-prepared proposal for peace constituted "not my final offer", following fierce backlash from Ukraine's leaders and commentators that compared it to a 1938 Munich agreement between Chamberlain and Adolf Hitler.

In short remarks at the White House, Trump told journalists: Our goal is to achieve peace. It should’ve happened a long time ago … we are attempting to conclude it, one way or the other we have to get it ended."

Forthcoming Geneva Negotiations Include Multiple Countries

US and Ukrainian officials are scheduled to meet in Switzerland this Sunday for discussions on this proposal. Defense representatives from Germany, France, and the UK are expected to join these negotiations there.

Ahead of these discussions, US senators told the press that State Department head Marco Rubio reached out to them during his travel to Geneva for clarification on the details of this disclosed proposal. According to him, this plan "was not the administration’s plan" but instead a "wish list of the Russians", according to independent Maine senator Angus King, a member on the Senate Foreign Relations Committee.

Ukraine's President Faces Critical Deadline

However, Trump has given Zelenskyy a deadline of Thursday to sign the 28-point document. The document requires Kyiv to cede territory under its control to Moscow, downsize the size of its army, and relinquish long-range weapons. Additionally, it rules out a European peacekeeping force and penalties for atrocities committed by Russia.

During a solemn address on Friday, the Ukrainian leader cautioned that his country confronts an impossible choice over the coming days between preserving its national dignity and forfeiting key ally in the shape of the US. He admitted that it faces an extremely challenging period historically.

Ukrainian Negotiating Delegation Appointed for Upcoming Talks

In comments this weekend, Zelenskyy emphasized that genuine or "dignified" resolution depends on assured safety and fairness. He revealed a negotiating team, established through a decree, that would soon meet its US counterparts in Geneva, led by top aide Yermak.

Another member of the Ukrainian delegation, ex-defense head and security council official Rustem Umerov, stated they will hold discussions with the US regarding potential terms for a peace deal.

Suggesting limits, he noted: "Ukraine approaches this process with a clear understanding of its interests. This represents a continuation of recent discussions focused on harmonizing our plans for future actions."

International Response and Concerns

The Ukrainian president has sought to engage constructively with the US administration seemingly determined to resolve the war based on Russian conditions. He has made clear that he will not surrender the nation's independence or disregard a constitution that protects the country’s current borders.

At a meeting held in South Africa, leaders from the G20 and the European Council released a collective declaration opposing the proposed deal, stating it requires further refinement. It said that EU and Nato members would need to be consulted regarding certain clauses, that exclude Kyiv’s Nato membership and impose terms on its European Union membership.

Public Views in Ukraine's Capital

Ukrainian reaction to the proposal, drawn up by a Russian representative and a US delegate, has been overwhelmingly hostile. Commentators said it was a blueprint for another Russian invasion: not only of Ukraine but other European regions too.

Nayyem, a journalist and politician who led Ukraine’s 2014 pro-democracy Maidan revolution, said it drew comparisons with the Munich Agreement. Trumps’s peace plan belonged to a similar category, where the affected party is asked to outline its own surrender for broader convenience.

In a Facebook post, he said his anger by its "full" amnesty for Russian war crimes. It was an insult people who had hidden in basements in Bucha or Mariupol – sites of civilian executions – and families of deported children to Russian territory. A deeply cynical deal, he stated.

Speaking in a Kyiv subway station, Sariskyi, a young adult, said that Russia had been trying to dominate Ukraine "for years". The agreement offered very little 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 said.

Should Ukraine accept the terms Kyiv would be forced to sacrifice its liberties, he added. If rejected, the US would most likely break off cooperation and intelligence sharing, a vital resource of military intelligence for frontline Ukrainian troops. "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 lacking US backing. "We will fight for as long as it takes. Crimea and the eastern regions are part of Ukraine. It belongs to Ukraine." She said that the president is intelligent and predicted he would not cede territory.

Speaking in the rain, near a historical monument, Olena Ivanovna mentioned she was grateful to the former US leader for his peace-making efforts. She suggested that Ukraine ought to consider to give away certain regions for a limited time if it ensured maintaining US support. "President Zelenskyy should hold a referendum and ask the people," she said.

European Leaders Criticize the Proposal

Previous European leaders have roundly condemned the plan. Finland’s former prime minister Sanna Marin called it a disaster, not only for Ukraine and Ukrainians but for "all of the democratic world". She said if the west showed weakness and ignorance – as it did in 2014 when Putin annexed Crimea – further hostilities would follow.

The former prime minister of Belgium, Verhofstadt, referenced Churchill’s definition regarding appeasement as "one who feeds a crocodile, hoping it will eat him last". He added: Trump aligns with Putin. Europe faces a choice between compromise and principles. Another moment of truth for our [European] union."