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Former President Donald Trump remarked this past weekend that the Moscow-drafted peace plan was not his ultimate proposal, following intense criticism from Ukrainian officials and commentators who compared it to the Munich pact of 1938 between Chamberlain and Hitler.

During short comments from the White House, Trump informed journalists: "We’d like to get to peace. It should’ve happened a long time ago … we are attempting to conclude it, one way or the other we have to get it ended."

Forthcoming Geneva Negotiations Involve Multiple Countries

Ukrainian and American officials are scheduled to meet in Geneva this Sunday to discuss the plan. Defense representatives from Germany, France, and the UK will also participate in the talks there.

Prior to the talks, American lawmakers told the press that State Department head Marco Rubio contacted them during his travel to Switzerland for clarification on the details of this disclosed proposal. According to him, the proposal did not originate from the administration but instead reflected Russian desires, according to Senator Angus King, a member on the Senate Foreign Relations Committee.

Ukraine's President Confronts Crucial Time Limit

Nevertheless, Trump has given Zelenskyy a deadline of Thursday for signing the 28-point document. It calls on Kyiv to give up territory under its control to Moscow, reduce its military forces, and surrender long-range weapons. It also excludes a European peacekeeping force and sanctions for atrocities committed by Russia.

In a sombre address on Friday, Zelenskyy warned that his country faces a difficult decision in the near future involving preserving its national dignity and forfeiting a major partner in the shape of the US. He admitted that it faces an extremely challenging period in its history.

Ukraine's Negotiating Delegation Formed for Upcoming Meetings

Speaking this weekend, Zelenskyy said that real or respectable peace depends on assured safety and fairness. He revealed a negotiating team, established by presidential decree, which will meet its US counterparts in Geneva, led by his chief of staff Yermak.

A additional delegate from Ukraine's team, ex-defense head and national security council secretary Rustem Umerov, stated they will hold discussions with the US "on the possible parameters of a future peace agreement".

Hinting at limits, he noted: Ukraine enters these talks with defined goals. 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 Reaction and Concerns

Zelenskyy has attempted to participate positively with a White House seemingly determined to end the conflict on the Kremlin’s one-sided terms. He has emphasized that he will not surrender Ukraine’s sovereignty or disregard a constitution that enshrines Ukraine's territorial integrity.

At a meeting in South Africa, G20 leaders and EU representatives issued a collective declaration opposing the proposed deal, saying it needs "additional work". The statement indicated that EU and Nato members would need to be consulted on some of its provisions, that exclude Ukraine's NATO accession and impose terms on its future EU accession.

Public Opinion in Kyiv

Ukrainian reaction to the text, prepared by Putin’s envoy and a US delegate, has been overwhelmingly hostile. Analysts argued it outlined a plan for another Russian invasion: not only of Ukraine but other European regions too.

Nayyem, a journalist and politician who led the 2014 Maidan protests, said it invited parallels with the Munich Agreement. The proposal belonged to a similar category, with the victim invited "to formulate his own defeat so everyone else can live easier".

On social media, Nayyem expressed his anger by the complete pardon for Russian atrocities. 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, Sariskyi, a young adult, commented that Russia had been trying to dominate Ukraine "for years". The agreement offered very little in the Trump agreement and maintained 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 it would be compelled to sacrifice its liberties, he added. If it didn’t, the US would most likely break off cooperation and intelligence sharing, a vital resource of battlefield information for frontline Ukrainian troops. "There is no good way out of this for now," he noted.

Diverse Viewpoints from Ukrainian Citizens

A different commuter, teenager Sofia Barchan, said that the country would remain resilient lacking US backing. We will continue our struggle as needed. Crimea and the eastern regions are part of Ukraine. It belongs to Ukraine." She said that the president is intelligent and forecasted he would not cede territory.

While speaking in the rain, next to a replica of Kyiv’s original medieval gate, Olena Ivanovna said she was grateful to Trump for his peace-making efforts. She said that Ukraine ought to consider to give away certain regions temporarily if it ensured maintaining US support. "President Zelenskyy should hold a referendum and ask the people," she said.

EU Officials Criticize the Plan

Previous European leaders have roundly condemned the plan. Finland’s former prime minister Marin described it as 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 – "more aggression and conflicts" could arise.

The former prime minister of Belgium, Verhofstadt, referenced Churchill’s definition regarding appeasement as someone who accommodates an aggressor. He continued: Trump aligns with Putin. Europe must choose again: appeasement or our values, imperialism or freedom. A critical juncture for the European Union."