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Former President Trump remarked on Saturday that the Moscow-drafted proposal for peace constituted "not my final offer", following intense reaction from Ukrainian officials and analysts that compared it to the Munich pact of 1938 involving Chamberlain and Hitler.

During short comments at the White House, the US president told reporters: Our goal is to achieve peace. It should’ve happened a long time ago … we are attempting to conclude it, one way or the other it must be resolved."

Upcoming Switzerland Negotiations Include Multiple Countries

US and Ukrainian officials are scheduled to meet in Switzerland this Sunday for discussions on this proposal. Security officials from France, Britain and Germany will also participate in the talks in Geneva.

Ahead of these discussions, American lawmakers informed media outlets that Secretary of State Rubio reached out to them during his travel to Geneva for clarification on the details of the leaked plan. He said, this plan did not originate from the administration but rather reflected Russian desires, according to Senator King, a member on the Senate Foreign Relations Committee.

Ukraine's President Faces Critical Time Limit

However, the former president has set Volodymyr Zelenskyy a deadline of Thursday for signing the 28-point document. The document requires Kyiv to give up land it currently controls to Russia, reduce the size of its army, and surrender advanced weaponry. It also excludes a European peacekeeping force and penalties for atrocities committed by Russia.

In a sombre speech last Friday, the Ukrainian leader warned that Ukraine confronts a difficult decision in the near future between preserving its national dignity and losing key ally like the United States. Zelenskyy acknowledged that it faces one of the most difficult moments historically.

Ukraine's Negotiating Delegation Appointed for Geneva Meetings

In comments on Saturday, Zelenskyy said that real or respectable peace depends on "guaranteed security and justice". He announced a delegation, established through a decree, that would soon meet American representatives in Switzerland, led by top aide Yermak.

Another member from Ukraine's team, former defence minister and security council official Rustem Umerov, stated there would be consultations with Washington "on the possible parameters of a future peace agreement".

Hinting at limits, Umerov noted: "Ukraine approaches this process with a clear understanding of its interests. This represents a continuation of recent discussions focused on harmonizing our plans for future actions."

Global Response and Concerns

The Ukrainian president has attempted to engage constructively with a White House apparently intent 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.

During a summit held in South Africa, G20 leaders and the European Council released a collective declaration pushing back on Trump’s plan, stating it requires further refinement. It said that members of the EU and NATO must be involved regarding certain clauses, which rule out Kyiv’s Nato membership and impose terms on its European Union membership.

Public Views in Kyiv

Ukrainian reaction to the proposal, prepared by Putin’s envoy and Trump’s representative, has been overwhelmingly hostile. Commentators argued it was a blueprint for further Russian aggression: targeting not just Ukraine but other European regions as well.

Nayyem, a public figure involved in Ukraine’s 2014 pro-democracy Maidan revolution, remarked it invited parallels with Chamberlain’s infamous Munich deal. 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".

On social media, he expressed he was outraged by the complete pardon for Russian atrocities. It was an insult those who sought shelter in Bucha or Mariupol – sites of civilian executions – and families of deported children to Russian territory. "A rather cynical agreement," he stated.

In an interview in a Kyiv subway station, Dmytro Sariskyi, a young adult, said that Russia has attempted to control Ukraine politically and territorially "for years". The agreement offered very little in the proposed deal 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.

If Zelenskyy signed off on the proposals Kyiv would be forced to sacrifice its liberties, he said. If it didn’t, the US would most likely break off cooperation and intelligence sharing, a vital resource of military intelligence for Ukraine's forces. "There is no good way out of this for now," he noted.

Varied Perspectives from Ukrainian Citizens

A different commuter, 19-year-old Sofia Barchan, said that the country would "keep strong" lacking US backing. "We will fight for as long as it takes. Crimea and the eastern regions are part of Ukraine. It belongs to Ukraine." She said that the president is intelligent and predicted he would not give up Ukrainian land.

Speaking in the rain, near a historical monument, Ivanovna said her appreciation to the former US leader for his peace-making efforts. She said that Ukraine ought to consider to give away Crimea and the eastern Donbas region temporarily if it ensured keeping America as a partner. "President Zelenskyy should hold a referendum and ask the people," 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 disaster, 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 could arise.

The former prime minister of Belgium, Verhofstadt, quoted a statement by Churchill regarding appeasement as someone who accommodates an aggressor. 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."