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Ex-leader Donald Trump indicated this past weekend that his Moscow-drafted peace plan was not his ultimate proposal, after intense reaction from Ukrainian leaders and analysts that likened it to the Munich pact of 1938 involving Chamberlain and Hitler.

In brief remarks from the White House, the US president informed reporters: Our goal is to achieve peace. It should’ve happened a long time ago … we are attempting to conclude it, in any case it must be resolved."

Forthcoming Geneva Talks Include Multiple Countries

Ukrainian and American delegates are scheduled to meet in Switzerland this Sunday to discuss the plan. Security officials from Germany, France, and the UK will also participate in these negotiations in Geneva.

Prior to these discussions, US senators told media outlets that State Department head Marco Rubio reached out to them while en route 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, as reported by independent Maine senator King, who serves on the Senate Foreign Relations Committee.

Ukraine's President Confronts Crucial Deadline

Nevertheless, the former president has set Volodymyr Zelenskyy a deadline of Thursday to sign the 28-point document. It calls on Kyiv to give up land under its control to Russia, reduce the size of its army, and relinquish long-range weapons. Additionally, it excludes international peacekeepers and penalties for atrocities committed by Russia.

In a sombre address on Friday, Zelenskyy warned that Ukraine faces a difficult decision in the near future involving keeping the nation's honor and losing key ally like the United States. He admitted that it faces an extremely challenging period in its history.

Ukraine's Dialogue Delegation Formed for Upcoming Meetings

In comments on Saturday, Zelenskyy emphasized that real or respectable resolution was always based on "guaranteed security and justice". He announced a delegation, appointed by presidential decree, which will meet American representatives in Geneva, led by top aide Yermak.

A additional delegate of the Ukrainian delegation, former defence minister and national security council secretary Rustem Umerov, said there would be discussions with Washington "on the possible parameters of a future peace agreement".

Hinting at limits, Umerov added: 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 sought to participate positively with a White House apparently intent to resolve the war based on Russian conditions. He has made clear that he will not surrender the nation's independence or abandon the constitutional framework that enshrines the country’s current borders.

During a summit in South Africa, G20 leaders and EU representatives released a collective declaration pushing back on Trump’s plan, saying it needs further refinement. The statement indicated that EU and Nato members would need to be consulted regarding certain clauses, which rule out Ukraine's NATO accession and impose terms on its European Union membership.

Citizen Views in Ukraine's Capital

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

Nayyem, a public figure involved in 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 formulate his own defeat so everyone else can live easier".

In a Facebook post, he said his anger by its "full" amnesty for Russian war crimes. This offended those who sought shelter in Bucha or Mariupol – sites of civilian executions – and families of deported children to Russian territory. "A rather cynical agreement," he stated.

In an interview in Kyiv’s Golden Gate metro station, Sariskyi, 21, said that Moscow has attempted to dominate Ukraine "for years". The agreement offered very little in the Trump agreement and continued to keep troops in Ukraine. In my view, this deal aims to undermine Ukraine and impose unfair terms, he said.

If Zelenskyy signed off on the proposals Kyiv would be forced to sacrifice its liberties, he added. 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.

Varied Perspectives from Ukrainian Citizens

A different commuter, 19-year-old Barchan, asserted that Ukraine would remain resilient without American support. "We will fight for as long as it takes. Crimea and the eastern regions are part of Ukraine. They are Ukrainian land." She expressed that the president is intelligent and forecasted he would not give up Ukrainian land.

While speaking during rainfall, next to a replica of Kyiv’s original medieval gate, Ivanovna mentioned her appreciation to Trump for his peace-making efforts. She said that Ukraine should be ready to give away certain regions for a limited time if it ensured maintaining US support. "President Zelenskyy should hold a referendum and ask the people," she said.

EU Officials Condemn the Plan

Former European heads of state have strongly criticized this proposal. Ex-PM of Finland Marin described it as a disaster, affecting not just Ukraine but for "all of the democratic world". She warned if Western nations display vulnerability – as it did in 2014 when Putin annexed Crimea – further hostilities could arise.

Belgium's ex-PM, Verhofstadt, quoted 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. A critical juncture for the European Union."