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Former President Trump indicated this past weekend that his Moscow-drafted proposal for peace constituted "not my final offer", after intense criticism from Ukrainian officials and commentators who likened it to the Munich pact of 1938 involving Chamberlain and Adolf Hitler.

In short remarks at the White House, the US president informed reporters: "We’d like to get to peace. It should’ve happened a long time ago … we’re trying to get it ended, in any case it must be resolved."

Forthcoming Geneva Negotiations Involve Multiple Nations

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

Ahead of the talks, American lawmakers informed media outlets that Secretary of State Marco Rubio contacted them during his travel to Geneva for clarification on the nature of the leaked plan. He said, the proposal did not originate from the administration but rather a "wish list of the Russians", according to independent Maine senator Angus King, a member on the Foreign Relations Committee.

Ukraine's President Confronts Critical Time Limit

Nevertheless, Trump has set Volodymyr Zelenskyy until Thursday to sign the 28-point document. The document requires Kyiv to cede land it currently controls to Russia, downsize the size of its army, and surrender long-range weapons. Additionally, it rules out a European peacekeeping force and sanctions for Russian war crimes.

In a sombre speech on Friday, Zelenskyy warned that his country faces an impossible choice over the coming days between keeping the nation's honor and forfeiting key ally like the United States. Zelenskyy acknowledged that it faces one of the most difficult moments historically.

Ukrainian Negotiating Delegation Appointed for Geneva Meetings

Speaking on Saturday, Zelenskyy said that genuine or "dignified" resolution depends on "guaranteed security and justice". He revealed a negotiating team, established by presidential decree, that would soon meet its US counterparts in Switzerland, headed by his chief of staff Andriy Yermak.

Another member of the Ukrainian delegation, former defence minister and national security council secretary Umerov, stated there would be discussions with the US "on the possible parameters of a future peace agreement".

Hinting at limits, Umerov 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

The Ukrainian president has sought 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.

At a meeting in South Africa, G20 leaders and EU representatives issued a joint statement pushing back on Trump’s plan, stating it needs further refinement. It said that members of the EU and NATO would need to be consulted regarding certain clauses, which rule out Ukraine's NATO accession and put conditions on its European Union membership.

Public Opinion in Kyiv

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 too.

Mustafa Nayyem, a journalist and politician who led the 2014 Maidan protests, remarked it drew comparisons with the Munich Agreement. The proposal belonged to 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 those who sought shelter in Bucha or Mariupol – sites of civilian executions – and for those whose children had been forcibly deported to Russian territory. "A rather cynical agreement," he stated.

Speaking in a Kyiv subway station, Dmytro Sariskyi, 21, said that Russia has attempted to dominate Ukraine over many years. The agreement offered "barely anything" in the proposed deal and maintained its forces on Ukrainian soil. In my view, this deal aims to undermine Ukraine and impose unfair terms, he remarked.

Should Ukraine accept the terms Kyiv would be forced to sacrifice its liberties, he added. If it didn’t, the US would most likely break off cooperation and intelligence sharing, a crucial source of military intelligence for frontline Ukrainian troops. Currently, there is no favorable solution, he noted.

Varied Viewpoints from Ukrainian Citizens

A different commuter, teenager Barchan, said that the country would remain resilient without American support. "We will fight for as long as it takes. Crimea and the eastern regions are part of Ukraine. It belongs to Ukraine." She said Zelenskyy was a "smart person" and predicted he would not give up Ukrainian land.

While speaking in the rain, near a historical monument, Olena Ivanovna mentioned her appreciation to Trump for his attempts to broker peace. She suggested 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. "President Zelenskyy should hold a referendum and ask the people," she proposed.

EU Officials Criticize the Proposal

Former European heads of state have roundly condemned this proposal. Finland’s former prime minister Sanna Marin described it as a disaster, not only for Ukraine and Ukrainians but for "all of the democratic world". She said if Western nations display vulnerability – as it did in 2014 when Putin annexed Crimea – further hostilities would follow.

Belgium's ex-PM, Guy Verhofstadt, quoted Churchill’s definition regarding appeasement 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. Another moment of truth for our [European] union."