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Former President Donald Trump remarked on Saturday that the Moscow-drafted proposal for peace was "not my final offer", after strong criticism from Ukrainian officials and analysts who compared it to the 1938 Munich agreement between Neville Chamberlain and Hitler.

In short comments at the White House, Trump told journalists: "We’d like to get to peace. It should’ve happened a long time ago … we’re trying to get it ended, in any case it must be resolved."

Forthcoming Geneva Talks Include Multiple Nations

Ukrainian and American officials are scheduled to meet in Switzerland on Sunday for discussions on this proposal. Defense representatives from France, Britain and Germany will also participate in the talks in Geneva.

Prior to the talks, US senators informed the press that State Department head Marco Rubio reached out to them during his travel to Switzerland for clarification on the details of the leaked plan. He said, this plan did not originate from the administration but rather reflected Russian desires, according to independent Maine senator King, a member on the Foreign Relations Committee.

Ukraine's President Faces Critical Deadline

Nevertheless, Trump has set Zelenskyy until Thursday for signing this multi-point agreement. The document requires Ukraine to give up territory under its control to Russia, reduce its military forces, and relinquish long-range weapons. It also excludes a European peacekeeping force and sanctions for Russian war crimes.

During a solemn address on Friday, Zelenskyy warned that his country faces an impossible choice in the near future involving preserving the nation's honor and forfeiting a major partner like the United States. Zelenskyy acknowledged that Ukraine is experiencing one of the most difficult moments in its history.

Ukrainian Negotiating Delegation Appointed for Geneva Meetings

In comments this weekend, Zelenskyy said that genuine or respectable resolution was always based on assured safety and fairness. He revealed a negotiating team, appointed through a decree, that would soon meet American representatives in Switzerland, headed by top aide Andriy Yermak.

A additional delegate from Ukraine's team, ex-defense head and national security council secretary Umerov, stated they will hold consultations with Washington regarding potential terms for a peace deal.

Suggesting red lines, Umerov noted: "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 Response and Criticism

Zelenskyy has sought to participate positively with the US administration seemingly determined to resolve the war on the Kremlin’s one-sided terms. He has made clear he cannot give up the nation's independence or disregard the constitutional framework that protects Ukraine's territorial integrity.

During a summit held in South Africa, leaders from the G20 and the European Council released a joint statement opposing Trump’s plan, saying it needs further refinement. The statement indicated that members of the EU and NATO must be involved on some of its provisions, which rule out Kyiv’s Nato membership and put conditions on its future EU accession.

Citizen Opinion in Kyiv

Responses from Ukrainians to the text, drawn up by Putin’s envoy and Trump’s representative, have been largely negative. Analysts argued it outlined a plan for another Russian invasion: not only of Ukraine but other European regions as well.

Nayyem, a journalist and politician who led the 2014 Maidan protests, remarked it invited parallels with Chamberlain’s infamous Munich deal. Trumps’s peace plan came from the same "recognisable genre", where the affected party is asked to outline its own surrender for broader convenience.

On social media, Nayyem expressed his anger by the complete pardon for Russian atrocities. It was an insult people who had hidden in basements in Bucha or Mariupol – where Russian troops executed hundreds of civilians – 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, Dmytro Sariskyi, 21, commented that Russia has attempted to control Ukraine politically and territorially over many years. It conceded very little in the Trump agreement and continued to keep troops in Ukraine. "I think the deal is an attempt to break Ukraine and force unjust conditions on us," he remarked.

Should Ukraine accept the terms Kyiv would be forced to sacrifice its liberties, he said. If rejected, the US would most likely break off cooperation and intelligence sharing, a crucial source of military intelligence for Ukraine's forces. "There is no good way out of this for now," he remarked.

Diverse Perspectives from Ukrainian Citizens

Another passenger, teenager Barchan, asserted that the country 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 expressed that the president is intelligent and predicted he would not give up Ukrainian land.

Speaking in the rain, next to a replica of Kyiv’s original medieval gate, Ivanovna mentioned her appreciation to the former US leader for his peace-making efforts. She suggested that Ukraine should be ready to give away Crimea and the eastern Donbas region for a limited time if it ensured keeping America as a partner. "President Zelenskyy should hold a referendum and ask the people," she proposed.

European Leaders Criticize the Proposal

Former European heads of state have roundly condemned the plan. Finland’s former prime minister Sanna Marin described it as a disaster, not only for Ukraine and Ukrainians but for democracies worldwide. She said if Western nations display vulnerability – similar to the 2014 Crimea annexation – "more aggression and conflicts" could arise.

Belgium's ex-PM, Guy Verhofstadt, quoted a statement by Churchill of an appeaser as someone who accommodates an aggressor. He added: "Trump now takes Putin’s side. Europe must choose again: appeasement or our values, imperialism or freedom. Another moment of truth for our [European] union."