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Former President Donald Trump indicated this past weekend that the Russian-prepared peace plan constituted not his ultimate proposal, following strong reaction from Ukraine's leaders and analysts that compared it to a Munich pact of 1938 between Neville Chamberlain and Hitler.

In brief remarks at the White House, Trump told reporters: "We’d like to get to peace. This should have occurred earlier … we are attempting to conclude it, in any case it must be resolved."

Forthcoming Switzerland Negotiations Include Various Countries

US and Ukrainian delegates will meet in Geneva on Sunday to discuss the plan. Security officials from Germany, France, and the UK will also participate in the talks there.

Ahead of these discussions, US senators informed media outlets that Secretary of State Marco Rubio contacted them during his travel to Switzerland to clarify the nature of the leaked plan. He said, the proposal did not originate from the administration but instead a "wish list of the Russians", as reported by Senator Angus King, a member on the Senate Foreign Relations Committee.

Zelenskyy Confronts Crucial Time Limit

However, the former president has given Zelenskyy a deadline of Thursday to sign this multi-point agreement. It calls on Kyiv to cede territory it currently controls to Russia, downsize its military forces, and relinquish long-range weapons. It also rules out international peacekeepers and sanctions for Russian war crimes.

During a solemn address last Friday, the Ukrainian leader cautioned that his country faces an impossible choice in the near future between keeping the nation's honor and losing key ally like the United States. Zelenskyy acknowledged that it faces one of the most difficult moments in its history.

Ukraine's Negotiating Team Formed for Geneva Talks

In comments this weekend, the president said that real or "dignified" peace depends on "guaranteed security and justice". He announced a negotiating team, established by presidential decree, which will meet its US counterparts in Geneva, led by top aide Yermak.

Another member from Ukraine's team, ex-defense head and security council official Umerov, stated they will hold discussions with Washington regarding potential terms for a peace deal.

Suggesting limits, 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 attempted to participate positively with the US administration seemingly determined to end the conflict based on Russian conditions. He has made clear he cannot give up the nation's independence or abandon the constitutional framework that protects Ukraine's territorial integrity.

During a summit held in South Africa, G20 leaders and EU representatives issued a joint statement opposing the proposed deal, stating it needs "additional work". The statement indicated that members of the EU and NATO must be involved 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 a Russian representative and a US delegate, has been overwhelmingly hostile. Commentators said it outlined a plan for another Russian invasion: targeting not just Ukraine but other European regions too.

Mustafa Nayyem, a journalist and politician who led the 2014 Maidan protests, said 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 the complete pardon for Russian atrocities. This offended those who sought shelter in affected cities – where Russian troops executed hundreds of civilians – and families of deported children to Russian territory. A deeply cynical deal, he concluded.

Speaking in Kyiv’s Golden Gate metro station, Dmytro Sariskyi, a young adult, said that Russia has attempted to control Ukraine politically and territorially "for years". It conceded "barely anything" in the Trump agreement and maintained 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 said. If it didn’t, the US might cease collaboration and intelligence exchange, a crucial source of military intelligence for frontline Ukrainian troops. "There is no good way out of this for now," he remarked.

Diverse Perspectives from Ukrainian Citizens

A different commuter, teenager Sofia Barchan, said that the country would "keep strong" without American support. We will continue our struggle as needed. 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 give up Ukrainian land.

While speaking during rainfall, near a historical monument, Olena Ivanovna mentioned she was grateful to the former US leader for his peace-making efforts. She suggested that the nation 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 said.

EU Leaders Condemn the Plan

Former European heads of state have strongly criticized the plan. Finland’s former prime minister Sanna Marin called it a catastrophe, affecting not just Ukraine but for "all of the democratic world". She said if the west showed weakness and ignorance – similar to the 2014 Crimea annexation – further hostilities would follow.

Belgium's ex-PM, Verhofstadt, referenced Churchill’s definition of an appeaser as "one who feeds a crocodile, hoping it will eat him last". He added: "Trump now takes Putin’s side. Europe must choose again: appeasement or our values, imperialism or freedom. A critical juncture for the European Union."