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Ex-leader Trump indicated this past weekend that his Russian-prepared proposal for peace was not his ultimate proposal, after strong reaction from Ukrainian officials and commentators that likened it to the Munich pact of 1938 involving Neville Chamberlain and Adolf Hitler.

In short remarks at the White House, Trump informed journalists: "We’d like to get to peace. This should have occurred earlier … we’re trying to get it ended, in any case we have to get it ended."

Upcoming Switzerland Negotiations Include Various Countries

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

Ahead of the talks, American lawmakers informed the press that Secretary of State Marco Rubio contacted them while en route to Switzerland for clarification on the details of the leaked plan. According to him, this plan "was not the administration’s plan" but instead a "wish list of the Russians", as reported by independent Maine senator Angus King, who serves on the Foreign Relations Committee.

Ukraine's President Faces Critical Time Limit

However, the former president has given Volodymyr Zelenskyy a deadline of Thursday to sign the 28-point document. The document requires Kyiv to cede territory it currently controls to Moscow, downsize the size of its army, and relinquish advanced weaponry. It also excludes a European peacekeeping force and sanctions for atrocities committed by Russia.

During a solemn address last Friday, the Ukrainian leader warned that his country confronts an impossible choice over the coming days between keeping its national dignity and forfeiting a major partner in the shape of the US. Zelenskyy acknowledged that it faces one of the most difficult moments historically.

Ukrainian Dialogue Delegation Appointed for Geneva Talks

Speaking on Saturday, the president emphasized that genuine or respectable peace was always based on assured safety and fairness. He revealed a delegation, appointed through a decree, which will meet its US counterparts in Geneva, led by top aide Andriy Yermak.

Another member of the Ukrainian delegation, ex-defense head and national security council secretary Umerov, stated there would be consultations with Washington regarding potential terms for a peace deal.

Suggesting limits, Umerov noted: "Ukraine approaches this process with a clear understanding of its interests. 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 Response and Concerns

Zelenskyy has sought to engage constructively with the US administration apparently intent to resolve the war based on Russian conditions. He has made clear that he will not surrender the nation's independence or disregard the constitutional framework that protects Ukraine's territorial integrity.

At a meeting in South Africa, G20 leaders and EU representatives released a collective declaration opposing Trump’s plan, saying it needs further refinement. It said that members of the EU and NATO must be involved on some of its provisions, that exclude Ukraine's NATO accession and put conditions on its future EU accession.

Citizen Views in Kyiv

Ukrainian reaction to the proposal, prepared by Putin’s envoy and a US delegate, has been overwhelmingly hostile. Analysts argued it outlined a plan for another Russian invasion: targeting not just Ukraine but of other parts of Europe as well.

Mustafa Nayyem, a public figure who led the 2014 Maidan protests, said it invited parallels with Chamberlain’s infamous Munich deal. Trumps’s peace plan belonged to the same "recognisable genre", with the victim invited "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. It was an insult 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 deeply cynical deal, he concluded.

Speaking in a Kyiv subway station, Sariskyi, a young adult, said that Russia has attempted to control Ukraine politically and territorially over many years. The agreement offered "barely anything" in the proposed deal and continued to keep troops in Ukraine. In my view, this deal aims to undermine Ukraine and impose unfair terms, he said.

Should Ukraine accept the terms Kyiv would be forced to sacrifice its liberties, he added. If rejected, the US might cease collaboration and intelligence exchange, a vital resource of military intelligence for Ukraine's forces. "There is no good way out of this for now," he noted.

Varied Viewpoints from the Public

A different commuter, teenager Sofia Barchan, asserted that Ukraine 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 said that the president is intelligent and predicted he would not cede territory.

While speaking in the rain, near a historical monument, Olena Ivanovna said her appreciation to Trump for his attempts to broker peace. She suggested that Ukraine ought to consider to give away Crimea and the eastern Donbas region for a limited time if it meant keeping America as a partner. The president should conduct a public vote on this matter, she proposed.

EU Leaders Condemn the Plan

Former European heads of state have roundly condemned this proposal. Ex-PM of Finland Marin called it a disaster, not only for Ukraine and Ukrainians but for democracies worldwide. She said if Western nations display vulnerability – as it did in 2014 when Putin annexed Crimea – further hostilities could arise.

The former prime minister of Belgium, Verhofstadt, referenced a statement by Churchill regarding appeasement as "one who feeds a crocodile, hoping it will eat him last". He continued: Trump aligns with Putin. Europe faces a choice between compromise and principles. A critical juncture for the European Union."