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Ex-leader Trump remarked on Saturday that his Moscow-drafted peace plan was "not my final offer", following intense reaction from Ukrainian officials and analysts that likened it to the 1938 Munich agreement between Chamberlain and Hitler.

In brief 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, in any case it must be resolved."

Upcoming Switzerland Talks Involve Various Nations

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

Ahead of the talks, US senators informed the press that Secretary of State Marco Rubio contacted them during his travel to Geneva for clarification on the nature of the leaked plan. According to him, the proposal did not originate from the administration but instead a "wish list of the Russians", as reported by Senator King, who serves on the Foreign Relations Committee.

Zelenskyy Confronts Crucial Deadline

Nevertheless, the former president has set Zelenskyy a deadline of Thursday to sign the 28-point document. It calls on Ukraine to give up territory it currently controls to Russia, downsize its military forces, and surrender long-range weapons. Additionally, it excludes international peacekeepers and penalties for Russian war crimes.

In a sombre address last Friday, the Ukrainian leader cautioned that Ukraine confronts a difficult decision in the near future involving keeping its national dignity and forfeiting key ally in the shape of the US. Zelenskyy acknowledged that it faces an extremely challenging period historically.

Ukraine's Negotiating Delegation Appointed for Upcoming Talks

Speaking this weekend, Zelenskyy emphasized that real or respectable peace was always based on "guaranteed security and justice". He revealed a delegation, established by presidential decree, that would soon meet American representatives in Geneva, headed by top aide Yermak.

A additional delegate from Ukraine's team, former defence minister and national security council secretary Umerov, said there would be discussions with Washington "on the possible parameters of a future peace agreement".

Hinting at limits, he noted: 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 Reaction and Criticism

The Ukrainian president has attempted to engage constructively with the US administration apparently intent to end the conflict on the Kremlin’s one-sided terms. He has emphasized he cannot give up the nation's independence or disregard a constitution that protects Ukraine's territorial integrity.

During a summit 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, that exclude Ukraine's NATO accession and impose terms on its European Union membership.

Public Opinion in Ukraine's Capital

Responses from Ukrainians to the text, prepared by a Russian representative and Trump’s representative, has been overwhelmingly hostile. Commentators argued it outlined a plan for further Russian aggression: targeting not just Ukraine but other European regions as well.

Mustafa Nayyem, a public figure involved in the 2014 Maidan protests, said it invited parallels with the Munich Agreement. Trumps’s peace plan belonged to the same "recognisable genre", where the affected party is asked "to formulate his own defeat so everyone else can live easier".

On social media, Nayyem said he was outraged 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 rather cynical agreement," he stated.

Speaking in a Kyiv subway station, Dmytro Sariskyi, a young adult, commented that Moscow has attempted to dominate Ukraine "for years". It conceded "barely anything" 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 said.

Should Ukraine accept the terms it would be compelled to give up its freedoms, he added. If rejected, the US would most likely break off cooperation and intelligence sharing, a crucial source of battlefield information for frontline Ukrainian troops. Currently, there is no favorable solution, he noted.

Diverse Viewpoints from Ukrainian Citizens

Another passenger, teenager Barchan, asserted that Ukraine 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. It belongs to Ukraine." She expressed that the president is intelligent and forecasted he would not give up Ukrainian land.

Speaking in the rain, next to a replica of Kyiv’s original medieval gate, Ivanovna mentioned she was grateful to Trump for his peace-making efforts. She said that Ukraine ought to consider to give away certain regions temporarily if it meant maintaining US support. "President Zelenskyy should hold a referendum and ask the people," she said.

EU Leaders Condemn the Proposal

Previous European leaders have strongly criticized the plan. Ex-PM of Finland Sanna Marin called it a disaster, affecting not just Ukraine but for democracies worldwide. She warned if Western nations display vulnerability – as it did in 2014 when Putin annexed Crimea – "more aggression and conflicts" could arise.

The former prime minister of Belgium, Guy Verhofstadt, referenced a statement by Churchill of an appeaser as someone who accommodates an aggressor. He continued: "Trump now takes Putin’s side. Europe must choose again: appeasement or our values, imperialism or freedom. A critical juncture for the European Union."