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Ex-leader Trump remarked this past weekend that his Moscow-drafted proposal for peace constituted not his ultimate proposal, following strong backlash from Ukraine's leaders and commentators who likened it to the 1938 Munich agreement between Neville Chamberlain and Hitler.

In brief remarks from the White House, the US president told reporters: "We’d like to get to peace. This should have occurred earlier … we are attempting to conclude it, in any case we have to get it ended."

Upcoming Switzerland Talks Involve Multiple Countries

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

Ahead of these discussions, US senators informed the press that State Department head Rubio reached out to them during his travel to Geneva for clarification on the details of the leaked plan. According to him, the proposal did not originate from the administration but instead reflected Russian desires, according to independent Maine senator Angus King, who serves on the Senate Foreign Relations Committee.

Ukraine's President Confronts Critical Deadline

Nevertheless, the former president has given Zelenskyy a deadline of Thursday to sign this multi-point agreement. It calls on Ukraine to cede land it currently controls to Russia, reduce the size of its army, and surrender long-range weapons. It also excludes a European peacekeeping force and sanctions for Russian war crimes.

In a sombre speech on Friday, Zelenskyy cautioned that Ukraine confronts a difficult decision in the near future involving preserving its national dignity and forfeiting key ally like the United States. He admitted that it faces one of the most difficult moments in its history.

Ukraine's Dialogue Team Appointed for Geneva Talks

Speaking on Saturday, the president said that real or respectable resolution depends on assured safety and fairness. He announced a delegation, established by presidential decree, which will meet its US counterparts in Switzerland, headed by top aide Yermak.

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

Hinting at limits, Umerov 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 Concerns

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 Ukraine’s sovereignty or abandon the constitutional framework that enshrines Ukraine's territorial integrity.

During a summit held in South Africa, leaders from the G20 and the European Council issued a collective declaration pushing back on the proposed deal, saying it requires "additional work". It said 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.

Public Opinion in Kyiv

Responses from Ukrainians to the proposal, drawn up by Putin’s envoy and a US delegate, have been largely negative. Commentators said it was a blueprint for further Russian aggression: targeting not just Ukraine but other European regions as well.

Nayyem, a journalist and politician who led the 2014 Maidan protests, remarked it drew comparisons with the Munich Agreement. Trumps’s peace plan came from the same "recognisable genre", where the affected party is asked "to formulate his own defeat so everyone else can live easier".

In a Facebook post, Nayyem expressed his anger by the complete pardon for Russian atrocities. This offended 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 Russian territory. "A rather cynical agreement," he concluded.

In an interview in a Kyiv subway station, Dmytro Sariskyi, a young adult, commented that Russia had been trying to control Ukraine politically and territorially over many years. It conceded very little in the proposed deal and maintained troops in Ukraine. "I think the deal is an attempt to break Ukraine and force unjust conditions on us," he said.

If Zelenskyy signed off on the proposals it would be compelled to sacrifice its liberties, he said. If rejected, the US would most likely break off cooperation and intelligence sharing, a vital resource of military intelligence for Ukraine's forces. Currently, there is no favorable solution, he remarked.

Varied Perspectives from the Public

Another passenger, teenager Sofia Barchan, asserted that the country would "keep strong" lacking US backing. "We will fight for as long as it takes. Crimea and the eastern regions are part of Ukraine. They are Ukrainian land." She expressed Zelenskyy was a "smart person" and predicted he would not give up Ukrainian land.

Speaking during rainfall, next to a replica of Kyiv’s original medieval gate, Ivanovna said her appreciation to Trump for his peace-making efforts. She suggested that the nation should be ready to give away certain regions for a limited time if it ensured maintaining US support. The president should conduct a public vote on this matter, she proposed.

European Leaders Criticize the Plan

Previous European leaders have strongly criticized the plan. Finland’s former prime minister Marin described it as a disaster, affecting not just Ukraine but for "all of the democratic world". She said if Western nations display vulnerability – similar to the 2014 Crimea annexation – "more aggression and conflicts" would follow.

Belgium's ex-PM, Verhofstadt, referenced Churchill’s definition 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."