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Former President Trump indicated this past weekend that the Moscow-drafted peace plan constituted not his ultimate proposal, following fierce backlash from Ukrainian leaders and analysts who compared it to the Munich pact of 1938 involving Neville Chamberlain and Hitler.

In brief comments at the White House, the US president told journalists: Our goal is to achieve peace. This should have occurred earlier … we are attempting to conclude it, one way or the other it must be resolved."

Forthcoming Geneva Talks Include Multiple Nations

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

Ahead of these discussions, American lawmakers informed the press that Secretary of State Rubio reached out to them during his travel to Switzerland to clarify the nature of the leaked plan. According to him, the proposal "was not the administration’s plan" but rather a "wish list of the Russians", according to independent Maine senator King, who serves on the Foreign Relations Committee.

Ukraine's President Confronts Critical Deadline

Nevertheless, the former president has set Volodymyr Zelenskyy until Thursday for signing this multi-point agreement. It calls on Ukraine to cede territory it currently controls to Russia, reduce its military forces, and relinquish long-range weapons. Additionally, it rules out a European peacekeeping force and penalties for atrocities committed by Russia.

During a solemn address on Friday, Zelenskyy warned that his country confronts an impossible choice in the near future between preserving the nation's honor and forfeiting key ally like the United States. He admitted that Ukraine is experiencing an extremely challenging period historically.

Ukraine's Negotiating Delegation Appointed for Geneva Talks

Speaking on Saturday, the president emphasized that genuine or respectable peace was always based on "guaranteed security and justice". He announced a negotiating team, appointed by presidential decree, which will meet American representatives in Switzerland, headed by top aide Andriy Yermak.

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

Hinting at red lines, Umerov added: "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."

Global Response and Concerns

Zelenskyy has sought to participate positively with the US administration apparently intent to end the conflict based on Russian conditions. He has made clear he cannot give up Ukraine’s sovereignty or abandon the constitutional framework that enshrines the country’s current borders.

During a summit in South Africa, G20 leaders and the European Council issued a collective declaration opposing the proposed deal, stating it requires "additional work". 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 put conditions on its European Union membership.

Public Views in Kyiv

Responses from Ukrainians to the text, drawn up by Putin’s envoy and a US delegate, have been largely negative. Commentators said it outlined a plan for another Russian invasion: targeting not just Ukraine but other European regions too.

Mustafa Nayyem, a public figure involved in the 2014 Maidan protests, remarked it drew comparisons with the Munich Agreement. The proposal 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 said his anger by its "full" amnesty for Russian war crimes. It was an insult people who had hidden in basements in affected cities – sites of civilian executions – and for those whose children had been forcibly deported to Russia. "A rather cynical agreement," he stated.

Speaking in Kyiv’s Golden Gate metro station, Dmytro Sariskyi, 21, said that Moscow has attempted to dominate Ukraine over many years. The agreement offered "barely anything" in the Trump agreement and continued to keep troops in Ukraine. "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 sacrifice its liberties, he added. If rejected, the US might cease collaboration and intelligence exchange, a crucial source of military intelligence for Ukraine's forces. Currently, there is no favorable solution, he remarked.

Diverse Viewpoints from the Public

A different commuter, teenager Barchan, asserted that the country would "keep strong" 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 said that the president is intelligent and predicted he would not cede territory.

Speaking in the rain, next to a replica of Kyiv’s original medieval gate, Ivanovna said her appreciation to the former US leader for his attempts to broker peace. She said that the nation should be ready ceding Crimea and the eastern Donbas region temporarily if it meant maintaining US support. The president should conduct a public vote on this matter, she proposed.

EU Officials Condemn the Proposal

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 warned if the west showed weakness and ignorance – as it did in 2014 when Putin annexed Crimea – further hostilities 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 added: Trump aligns with Putin. Europe faces a choice between compromise and principles. A critical juncture for the European Union."