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Ex-leader Donald Trump indicated on Saturday that the Russian-prepared peace plan was not his ultimate proposal, after fierce backlash from Ukrainian officials and commentators who likened it to the Munich pact of 1938 involving Chamberlain and Adolf Hitler.

In short comments at the White House, Trump told reporters: Our goal is to achieve peace. This should have occurred earlier … we are attempting to conclude it, one way or the other it must be resolved."

Upcoming Geneva Talks Involve Various Nations

US and Ukrainian delegates are scheduled to meet in Switzerland this Sunday for discussions on this proposal. Security officials from France, Britain and Germany will also participate in these negotiations in Geneva.

Prior to the talks, American lawmakers informed media outlets that Secretary of State 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 reflected Russian desires, as reported by Senator Angus King, a member on the Foreign Relations Committee.

Ukraine's President Faces Crucial Time Limit

However, Trump has given Zelenskyy a deadline of Thursday to sign the 28-point document. The document requires Ukraine to cede territory it currently controls to Moscow, downsize its military forces, and surrender long-range weapons. It also rules out a European peacekeeping force and sanctions for atrocities committed by Russia.

In a sombre speech last Friday, the Ukrainian leader warned that Ukraine faces a difficult decision over the coming days involving keeping the nation's honor and losing a major partner in the shape of the US. Zelenskyy acknowledged that it faces an extremely challenging period in its history.

Ukrainian Dialogue Team Formed for Upcoming Talks

Speaking this weekend, Zelenskyy said that genuine or "dignified" peace depends on "guaranteed security and justice". He announced a negotiating team, appointed through a decree, which will meet its US counterparts in Geneva, headed by his chief of staff Yermak.

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

Suggesting red lines, he added: Ukraine enters these talks with defined goals. This represents a continuation of recent discussions focused on harmonizing our plans for future actions."

International Reaction and Criticism

Zelenskyy has sought to engage constructively with a White House apparently intent to end the conflict based on Russian conditions. He has made clear that he will not surrender Ukraine’s sovereignty or disregard a constitution that enshrines the country’s current borders.

At a meeting in South Africa, G20 leaders and the European Council released a collective declaration opposing Trump’s plan, saying it needs further refinement. The statement indicated that members of the EU and NATO would need to be consulted regarding certain clauses, that exclude Ukraine's NATO accession and impose terms on its future EU accession.

Public Opinion in Kyiv

Ukrainian reaction to the proposal, prepared by Putin’s envoy and a US delegate, have been largely negative. Commentators argued it was a blueprint for another Russian invasion: not only of Ukraine but of other parts of Europe as well.

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

In a Facebook post, Nayyem said his anger by its "full" amnesty for Russian war crimes. This offended people who had hidden in basements in Bucha or Mariupol – where Russian troops executed hundreds of civilians – and families of deported children to Russian territory. A deeply cynical deal, he concluded.

Speaking in a Kyiv subway station, Sariskyi, 21, commented that Moscow has attempted to dominate Ukraine over many years. The agreement offered 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 sacrifice its liberties, he added. If it didn’t, 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 remarked.

Diverse Viewpoints from Ukrainian Citizens

A different commuter, 19-year-old Sofia Barchan, said that Ukraine would "keep strong" lacking US backing. "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 said Zelenskyy was a "smart person" and forecasted he would not cede territory.

Speaking during rainfall, next to a replica of Kyiv’s original medieval gate, Ivanovna mentioned she was grateful to the former US leader for his attempts to broker peace. She said that the nation should be ready to give away Crimea and the eastern Donbas region temporarily if it meant keeping America as a partner. The president should conduct a public vote on this matter, she proposed.

European Leaders Criticize the Plan

Previous European leaders have roundly condemned this proposal. Finland’s former prime minister Marin called it a disaster, affecting not just Ukraine but for "all of the democratic world". She said 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, referenced a statement by Churchill regarding appeasement as someone who accommodates an aggressor. He added: Trump aligns with Putin. Europe faces a choice between compromise and principles. Another moment of truth for our [European] union."