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Ex-leader Trump remarked this past weekend that his Russian-prepared peace plan was not his ultimate proposal, after fierce backlash from Ukraine's leaders and analysts who compared it to a Munich pact of 1938 between Neville Chamberlain and Adolf Hitler.

In brief remarks at the White House, Trump informed reporters: "We’d like to get to peace. This should have occurred earlier … we’re trying to get it ended, in any case it must be resolved."

Forthcoming Switzerland Negotiations Involve Various Countries

US and Ukrainian officials will meet in Geneva this Sunday for discussions on the plan. Security officials from France, Britain and Germany are expected to join these negotiations in Geneva.

Prior to these discussions, American lawmakers informed media outlets that Secretary of State Marco Rubio contacted them while en route to Switzerland for clarification on the nature of this disclosed proposal. He said, this plan "was not the administration’s plan" but rather reflected Russian desires, as reported by Senator Angus King, who serves on the Foreign Relations Committee.

Zelenskyy Faces Critical Time Limit

However, Trump has set Volodymyr Zelenskyy a deadline of Thursday to sign the 28-point document. The document requires Ukraine to give up territory it currently controls to Russia, downsize its military forces, and relinquish long-range weapons. Additionally, it rules out international peacekeepers and sanctions for atrocities committed by Russia.

During a solemn speech on Friday, the Ukrainian leader warned that his country confronts a difficult decision in the near future between keeping its national dignity and forfeiting key ally like the United States. He admitted that Ukraine is experiencing an extremely challenging period in its history.

Ukrainian Dialogue Delegation Appointed for Geneva Meetings

In comments this weekend, Zelenskyy emphasized that real or respectable resolution was always based on assured safety and fairness. He announced a delegation, appointed through a decree, which will meet its US counterparts in Geneva, led by his chief of staff Yermak.

A additional delegate of the Ukrainian delegation, former defence minister and security council official Rustem Umerov, stated there would be consultations with Washington regarding potential terms for a peace deal.

Hinting at red lines, 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."

International Response and Criticism

The Ukrainian president has sought to engage constructively with a White House apparently intent 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 enshrines the country’s current borders.

During a summit held in South Africa, leaders from the G20 and EU representatives released a joint statement opposing Trump’s plan, saying it requires "additional work". The statement indicated that EU and Nato members must be involved regarding certain clauses, that exclude Kyiv’s Nato membership and impose terms on its future EU accession.

Citizen Opinion in Kyiv

Ukrainian reaction to the text, drawn up by a Russian representative 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 too.

Mustafa Nayyem, a public figure who led Ukraine’s 2014 pro-democracy Maidan revolution, remarked it drew comparisons with the Munich Agreement. Trumps’s peace plan came from the same "recognisable genre", with the victim invited "to formulate his own defeat so everyone else can live easier".

In a Facebook post, he expressed he was outraged by the complete pardon for Russian atrocities. It was an insult people who had hidden in basements in affected cities – where Russian troops executed hundreds of civilians – and families of deported children to Russia. A deeply cynical deal, he stated.

In an interview in a Kyiv subway station, Sariskyi, a young adult, commented that Russia has attempted to dominate Ukraine "for years". The agreement offered "barely anything" in the Trump agreement and continued to keep troops in Ukraine. In my view, this deal aims to undermine Ukraine and impose unfair terms, he said.

Should Ukraine accept the terms it would be compelled to sacrifice its liberties, he added. If it didn’t, the US might cease collaboration and intelligence exchange, a vital resource of military intelligence for Ukraine's forces. "There is no good way out of this for now," he remarked.

Varied Perspectives from the Public

A different commuter, 19-year-old Barchan, asserted that the country would remain resilient lacking US backing. "We will fight for as long as it takes. Our territory will remain our territory, including Crimea and the east. They are Ukrainian land." She said that the president is intelligent and predicted he would not cede territory.

While speaking in the rain, next to a replica of Kyiv’s original medieval gate, Olena Ivanovna said her appreciation to the former US leader for his peace-making efforts. She said that the nation ought to consider ceding certain regions for a limited time if it meant keeping America as a partner. The president should conduct a public vote on this matter, she proposed.

European Officials Criticize the Proposal

Previous European leaders have roundly condemned the plan. Ex-PM of Finland Sanna Marin described it as a disaster, 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 – further hostilities would follow.

The former prime minister of Belgium, Verhofstadt, referenced Churchill’s definition regarding appeasement as someone who accommodates an aggressor. He added: "Trump now takes Putin’s side. Europe faces a choice between compromise and principles. Another moment of truth for our [European] union."