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Former President Donald Trump remarked this past weekend that his Russian-prepared peace plan was not his ultimate proposal, following strong backlash from Ukraine's officials and commentators that likened it to a Munich pact of 1938 between Neville Chamberlain and Hitler.

In short comments at the White House, the US president informed reporters: "We’d like to get to peace. It should’ve happened a long time ago … we are attempting to conclude it, one way or the other it must be resolved."

Forthcoming Switzerland Talks Include Various Nations

Ukrainian and American officials are scheduled to meet in Geneva on Sunday to discuss the plan. Security officials from Germany, France, and the UK are expected to join the talks there.

Ahead of the talks, US senators informed the press that State Department head Marco Rubio reached out to them during his travel to Geneva to clarify the details of this disclosed proposal. He said, the proposal did not originate from the administration but rather a "wish list of the Russians", according to independent Maine senator King, a member on the Senate Foreign Relations Committee.

Zelenskyy Confronts Critical Deadline

However, Trump has given Volodymyr Zelenskyy a deadline of Thursday for signing the 28-point document. The document requires Kyiv to give up territory it currently controls to Russia, reduce its military forces, and relinquish advanced weaponry. It also rules out international peacekeepers and penalties for Russian war crimes.

During a solemn address on Friday, Zelenskyy cautioned that his country confronts an impossible choice over the coming days between keeping the nation's honor and forfeiting a major partner like the United States. He admitted that Ukraine is experiencing an extremely challenging period in its history.

Ukraine's Negotiating Team Appointed for Upcoming Talks

In comments this weekend, Zelenskyy emphasized that genuine or respectable resolution was always based on assured safety and fairness. He announced a delegation, established through a decree, that would soon meet American representatives in Switzerland, led by his chief of staff Andriy Yermak.

Another member of the Ukrainian delegation, former defence minister and security council official Umerov, said they will hold discussions with the US regarding potential terms for a peace deal.

Hinting at limits, Umerov added: Ukraine enters these talks with defined goals. 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

The Ukrainian president has sought to participate positively with a White House seemingly determined to resolve the war based on Russian conditions. He has emphasized he cannot give up Ukraine’s sovereignty or disregard 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 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.

Public Opinion in Ukraine's Capital

Responses from Ukrainians to the proposal, drawn up by Putin’s envoy and Trump’s representative, have been largely negative. Commentators said it was a blueprint for another Russian invasion: targeting not just Ukraine but other European regions as well.

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

In a Facebook post, he said he was outraged by its "full" amnesty for Russian war crimes. This offended those who sought shelter in affected cities – where Russian troops executed hundreds of civilians – and families of deported children to Russian territory. "A rather cynical agreement," he concluded.

Speaking in Kyiv’s Golden Gate metro station, Sariskyi, 21, said that Russia has attempted 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.

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 vital resource of battlefield information for frontline Ukrainian troops. "There is no good way out of this for now," he noted.

Diverse Viewpoints from the Public

A different commuter, teenager Barchan, said that the country would "keep strong" lacking US backing. "We will fight for as long as it takes. Crimea and the eastern regions are part of Ukraine. They are Ukrainian land." She said Zelenskyy was a "smart person" and predicted he would not cede territory.

While speaking in the rain, near a historical monument, Olena Ivanovna said her appreciation to Trump for his attempts to broker peace. She said that the nation should be ready ceding certain regions temporarily if it meant maintaining US support. "President Zelenskyy should hold a referendum and ask the people," she said.

European Leaders Condemn the Proposal

Previous European leaders have roundly condemned this proposal. Ex-PM of Finland Sanna Marin described it as a catastrophe, affecting not just Ukraine but for "all of the democratic world". She warned 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, quoted a statement by Churchill of an appeaser as "one who feeds a crocodile, hoping it will eat him last". He continued: Trump aligns with Putin. Europe must choose again: appeasement or our values, imperialism or freedom. A critical juncture for the European Union."