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Ex-leader Donald Trump stated this past weekend that his Moscow-drafted peace plan was not his ultimate proposal, after fierce criticism from Ukraine's leaders and commentators who compared it to the Munich pact of 1938 between Neville Chamberlain and Hitler.

During short comments from the White House, Trump told reporters: Our goal is to achieve peace. This should have occurred earlier … we’re trying to get it ended, in any case we have to get it ended."

Forthcoming Switzerland Talks Include Various Countries

Ukrainian and American officials will meet in Geneva this Sunday to discuss the plan. Security officials from France, Britain and Germany will also participate in the talks in Geneva.

Ahead of the talks, American lawmakers told the press that Secretary of State Marco Rubio reached out to them during his travel to Switzerland for clarification on the nature of this disclosed proposal. He said, this plan did not originate from the administration but rather a "wish list of the Russians", according to Senator King, who serves on the Foreign Relations Committee.

Zelenskyy Faces Critical Time Limit

Nevertheless, the former president has given Volodymyr Zelenskyy a deadline of Thursday to sign this multi-point agreement. It calls on Kyiv to give up land it currently controls to Moscow, downsize its military forces, and surrender advanced weaponry. Additionally, it rules out international peacekeepers and penalties for atrocities committed by Russia.

During a solemn address last Friday, Zelenskyy cautioned that Ukraine faces an impossible choice in the near future involving keeping its national dignity and losing key ally in the shape of the US. Zelenskyy acknowledged that Ukraine is experiencing one of the most difficult moments historically.

Ukrainian Negotiating Team Formed for Geneva Meetings

In comments this weekend, the president said that real or "dignified" resolution depends on assured safety and fairness. He announced a negotiating team, appointed through a decree, that would soon meet its US counterparts in Switzerland, headed by top aide Yermak.

A additional delegate of the Ukrainian delegation, ex-defense head and national security council secretary Umerov, stated they will hold discussions with Washington "on the possible parameters of a future peace agreement".

Suggesting limits, Umerov 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 attempted to participate positively with the US administration apparently intent to resolve the war on the Kremlin’s one-sided terms. He has emphasized he cannot give up the nation's independence or disregard the constitutional framework that enshrines the country’s current borders.

At a meeting in South Africa, leaders from the G20 and EU representatives released a joint statement opposing Trump’s plan, stating it requires further refinement. It said that EU and Nato members would need to be consulted on some of its provisions, which rule out Ukraine's NATO accession and put conditions on its European Union membership.

Citizen Opinion in Ukraine's Capital

Responses from Ukrainians to the proposal, drawn up by a Russian representative and a US delegate, has been overwhelmingly hostile. Commentators argued it outlined a plan for further Russian aggression: targeting not just Ukraine but other European regions as well.

Nayyem, a public figure involved in Ukraine’s 2014 pro-democracy Maidan revolution, said it drew comparisons 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, he said his anger by the complete pardon for Russian atrocities. 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 concluded.

Speaking in Kyiv’s Golden Gate metro station, Sariskyi, 21, said that Moscow had been trying to control Ukraine politically and territorially over many years. It conceded very little in the Trump agreement and maintained its forces on Ukrainian soil. "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 give up its freedoms, he said. If rejected, the US would most likely break off cooperation and intelligence sharing, a crucial source of battlefield information for Ukraine's forces. Currently, there is no favorable solution, he noted.

Diverse Viewpoints from the Public

A different commuter, teenager Sofia Barchan, said that Ukraine would "keep strong" lacking US backing. 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 forecasted he would not give up Ukrainian land.

Speaking during rainfall, next to a replica of Kyiv’s original medieval gate, Olena Ivanovna mentioned she was grateful to the former US leader for his attempts to broker peace. She said that Ukraine ought to consider ceding Crimea and the eastern Donbas region for a limited time if it ensured maintaining US support. The president should conduct a public vote on this matter, she said.

EU Leaders Criticize the Plan

Previous European leaders have strongly criticized this proposal. Ex-PM of Finland Sanna Marin described it as a catastrophe, not only for Ukraine and Ukrainians but for "all of the democratic world". She warned if the west showed weakness and ignorance – as it did in 2014 when Putin annexed Crimea – "more aggression and conflicts" could arise.

The former prime minister of Belgium, Guy Verhofstadt, quoted a statement by Churchill of an appeaser as someone who accommodates an aggressor. He continued: Trump aligns with Putin. Europe faces a choice between compromise and principles. Another moment of truth for our [European] union."