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Former President Trump indicated on Saturday that the Russian-prepared proposal for peace was not his ultimate proposal, following strong backlash from Ukraine's leaders and commentators who compared it to a 1938 Munich agreement between Chamberlain and Adolf Hitler.

During brief comments from the White House, the US president informed journalists: Our goal is to achieve peace. It should’ve happened a long time ago … we’re trying to get it ended, in any case we have to get it ended."

Forthcoming Switzerland Talks Involve Various Countries

Ukrainian and American delegates are scheduled to meet in Geneva on Sunday for discussions on this proposal. Defense representatives from Germany, France, and the UK are expected to join these negotiations there.

Ahead of the talks, US senators informed the press that Secretary of State Marco Rubio reached out to them during his travel to Geneva for clarification on the details of this disclosed proposal. According to him, this plan "was not the administration’s plan" but instead a "wish list of the Russians", according to independent Maine senator King, who serves on the Foreign Relations Committee.

Ukraine's President Confronts Critical Time Limit

Nevertheless, Trump has set Volodymyr Zelenskyy until Thursday to sign this multi-point agreement. It calls on Ukraine to give up territory under its control to Moscow, downsize its military forces, and surrender long-range weapons. Additionally, it excludes international peacekeepers and penalties for Russian war crimes.

During a solemn speech last Friday, the Ukrainian leader warned that his country confronts an impossible choice in the near future involving preserving its national dignity and losing key ally in the shape of the US. He admitted that Ukraine is experiencing one of the most difficult moments historically.

Ukrainian Dialogue Team Appointed for Upcoming Talks

Speaking this weekend, Zelenskyy said that genuine or "dignified" resolution depends on assured safety and fairness. He announced a negotiating team, appointed by presidential decree, that would soon meet American representatives in Switzerland, headed by top aide Andriy Yermak.

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

Suggesting red lines, he noted: Ukraine enters these talks with defined goals. This represents a continuation of recent discussions focused on harmonizing our plans for future actions."

Global Reaction and Criticism

Zelenskyy has attempted to engage constructively with a White House apparently intent to end the conflict on the Kremlin’s one-sided terms. He has made clear that he will not surrender the nation's independence or disregard the constitutional framework that enshrines the country’s current borders.

During a summit in South Africa, G20 leaders and the European Council issued a joint statement pushing back on the proposed deal, saying it requires further refinement. It said that members of the EU and NATO must be involved regarding certain clauses, that exclude Kyiv’s Nato membership and put conditions on its future EU accession.

Public Opinion in Ukraine's Capital

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

Nayyem, a journalist and politician who led the 2014 Maidan protests, said it invited parallels with the Munich Agreement. Trumps’s peace plan came from a similar category, with the victim invited to outline its own surrender for broader convenience.

In a Facebook post, he expressed his anger by the complete pardon for Russian atrocities. It was an insult 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 Russia. A deeply cynical deal, he concluded.

In an interview in Kyiv’s Golden Gate metro station, Dmytro Sariskyi, a young adult, commented that Moscow had been trying to control Ukraine politically and territorially over many years. It conceded very little in the Trump agreement and continued to keep its forces on Ukrainian soil. "I think the deal is an attempt to break Ukraine and force unjust conditions on us," he remarked.

Should Ukraine accept the terms Kyiv would be forced to give up its freedoms, he added. If rejected, the US might cease collaboration and intelligence exchange, a crucial source of battlefield information for Ukraine's forces. "There is no good way out of this for now," he remarked.

Varied Perspectives from Ukrainian Citizens

A different commuter, teenager Barchan, said that Ukraine would remain resilient lacking US backing. We will continue our struggle as needed. Our territory will remain our territory, including Crimea and the east. They are Ukrainian land." She said 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, Olena Ivanovna mentioned she was grateful to Trump for his attempts to broker peace. She said that Ukraine ought to consider ceding Crimea and the eastern Donbas region temporarily if it meant keeping America as a partner. The president should conduct a public vote on this matter, she said.

EU Officials Condemn the Proposal

Former European heads of state have strongly criticized the plan. Ex-PM of Finland Marin described it as a catastrophe, affecting not just Ukraine but for "all of the democratic world". She warned if Western nations display vulnerability – similar to the 2014 Crimea annexation – further hostilities would follow.

Belgium's ex-PM, Guy Verhofstadt, referenced 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."