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Ex-leader Donald Trump remarked on Saturday that the Russian-prepared proposal for peace was not his ultimate proposal, after intense backlash from Ukraine's leaders and commentators that likened it to the 1938 Munich agreement involving Neville Chamberlain and Adolf Hitler.

In short remarks at the White House, the US president told journalists: "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 Geneva Talks Include Multiple Countries

Ukrainian and American delegates will meet in Switzerland this Sunday to discuss the plan. Defense representatives from France, Britain and Germany are expected to join the talks there.

Prior to these discussions, US senators told media outlets that State Department head Marco Rubio reached out to them during his travel to Switzerland for clarification on the details of this disclosed proposal. He said, this plan "was not the administration’s plan" but instead a "wish list of the Russians", as reported by Senator Angus King, who serves on the Foreign Relations Committee.

Ukraine's President Faces Critical Deadline

However, the former president has given Zelenskyy a deadline of Thursday to sign the 28-point document. It calls on Ukraine to cede territory it currently controls to Moscow, downsize the size of its army, and relinquish long-range weapons. It also excludes a European peacekeeping force and penalties for Russian war crimes.

During a solemn address on Friday, Zelenskyy warned that his country faces an impossible choice over the coming days involving keeping its national dignity and losing key ally in the shape of the US. He admitted that it faces one of the most difficult moments historically.

Ukraine's Negotiating Team Appointed for Upcoming Meetings

Speaking on Saturday, Zelenskyy emphasized that genuine or "dignified" peace was always based on assured safety and fairness. He announced a delegation, appointed through a decree, that would soon meet its US counterparts in Switzerland, led by his chief of staff Yermak.

Another member from Ukraine's team, former defence minister and national security council secretary Rustem Umerov, stated they will hold consultations with the US "on the possible parameters of a future peace agreement".

Hinting at 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."

Global Reaction and Criticism

The Ukrainian president has sought to engage constructively with the US administration seemingly determined to end the conflict on the Kremlin’s one-sided terms. He has made clear he cannot give up the nation's independence or disregard the constitutional framework that protects the country’s current borders.

At a meeting in South Africa, leaders from the G20 and EU representatives issued a joint statement pushing back on the proposed deal, stating it requires further refinement. The statement indicated that EU and Nato members would need to be consulted on some of its provisions, which rule out Kyiv’s Nato membership and impose terms on its European Union membership.

Public Opinion in Ukraine's Capital

Ukrainian reaction to the proposal, drawn up by Putin’s envoy and a US delegate, has been overwhelmingly hostile. Commentators argued it was a blueprint for another Russian invasion: not only of Ukraine but of other parts of Europe too.

Nayyem, a public figure who led Ukraine’s 2014 pro-democracy Maidan revolution, remarked it drew comparisons with the Munich Agreement. Trumps’s peace plan belonged to a similar category, where the affected party is asked to outline its own surrender for broader convenience.

On social media, 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 Russia. "A rather cynical agreement," he stated.

In an interview in a Kyiv subway station, Dmytro Sariskyi, a young adult, said that Russia had been trying to control Ukraine politically and territorially "for 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.

If Zelenskyy signed off on the proposals Kyiv would be forced to sacrifice its liberties, he said. If rejected, the US would most likely break off cooperation and intelligence sharing, a vital resource of battlefield information for Ukraine's forces. "There is no good way out of this for now," he noted.

Varied Perspectives from the Public

A different commuter, 19-year-old Barchan, asserted that the country would "keep strong" without American support. "We will fight for as long as it takes. Our territory will remain our territory, including Crimea and the east. They are Ukrainian land." She expressed that the president is intelligent and forecasted he would not cede territory.

While speaking in the rain, near a historical monument, Ivanovna mentioned her appreciation to Trump for his peace-making efforts. She said that the nation should be ready ceding Crimea and the eastern Donbas region for a limited time if it ensured keeping America as a partner. The president should conduct a public vote on this matter, she proposed.

EU Officials Condemn the Plan

Former European heads of state have roundly condemned the plan. Finland’s former prime minister Marin described it as a disaster, not only for Ukraine and Ukrainians but for democracies worldwide. She said if the west showed weakness and ignorance – as it did in 2014 when Putin annexed Crimea – "more aggression and conflicts" could arise.

Belgium's ex-PM, Verhofstadt, referenced a statement by Churchill of an appeaser as "one who feeds a crocodile, hoping it will eat him last". He added: Trump aligns with Putin. Europe faces a choice between compromise and principles. A critical juncture for the European Union."