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Former President Trump stated this past weekend that the Moscow-drafted peace plan constituted "not my final offer", following strong criticism from Ukraine's officials and analysts who likened it to a 1938 Munich agreement between Chamberlain and Hitler.

During brief remarks at the White House, the US president told journalists: Our goal is to achieve peace. It should’ve happened a long time ago … we’re trying to get it ended, one way or the other it must be resolved."

Forthcoming Geneva Negotiations Include Various Countries

US and Ukrainian officials will meet in Switzerland this Sunday to discuss the plan. Defense representatives from Germany, France, and the UK will also participate in these negotiations in Geneva.

Ahead of these discussions, US senators informed the press that State Department head Rubio reached out to them during his travel to Geneva to clarify the nature of the leaked plan. He said, this plan did not originate from the administration but rather a "wish list of the Russians", as reported by independent Maine senator King, a member on the Senate Foreign Relations Committee.

Zelenskyy Confronts Crucial Deadline

However, Trump has given Volodymyr Zelenskyy until Thursday for signing this multi-point agreement. The document requires Kyiv to cede territory it currently controls to Moscow, downsize its military forces, and surrender long-range weapons. Additionally, it rules out international peacekeepers and penalties for atrocities committed by Russia.

In a sombre speech on Friday, Zelenskyy warned that his country confronts a difficult decision over the coming days between keeping its national dignity and losing key ally in the shape of the US. Zelenskyy acknowledged that it faces one of the most difficult moments historically.

Ukraine's Negotiating Team Formed for Geneva Talks

In comments on Saturday, Zelenskyy said that genuine or respectable peace depends on "guaranteed security and justice". He announced a negotiating team, appointed through a decree, which will meet its US counterparts in Switzerland, headed by his chief of staff Yermak.

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

Hinting at red lines, he 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 Reaction and Criticism

The Ukrainian president has attempted to participate positively with the US administration apparently intent to end the conflict based on Russian conditions. He has emphasized he cannot give up the nation's independence or disregard a constitution that protects the country’s current borders.

At a meeting in South Africa, G20 leaders and EU representatives issued a collective declaration opposing the proposed deal, stating it requires further refinement. The statement indicated that members of the EU and NATO must be involved on some of its provisions, that exclude Kyiv’s Nato membership and impose terms on its European Union membership.

Public Views in Ukraine's Capital

Responses from Ukrainians to the proposal, drawn up by Putin’s envoy and Trump’s representative, has been overwhelmingly hostile. Analysts argued it was a blueprint for another Russian invasion: not only of Ukraine but other European regions too.

Nayyem, a journalist and politician who led Ukraine’s 2014 pro-democracy Maidan revolution, remarked it drew comparisons with Chamberlain’s infamous Munich deal. Trumps’s peace plan came from a similar category, where the affected party is asked "to formulate his own defeat so everyone else can live easier".

In a Facebook post, Nayyem expressed he was outraged by its "full" amnesty for Russian war crimes. This offended people who had hidden in basements in Bucha or Mariupol – where Russian troops executed hundreds of civilians – and families of deported children to Russian territory. A deeply cynical deal, he stated.

In an interview in a Kyiv subway station, Dmytro Sariskyi, 21, said that Moscow has attempted to control Ukraine politically and territorially over many years. It conceded "barely anything" in the proposed deal and continued to keep troops in Ukraine. In my view, this deal aims to undermine Ukraine and impose unfair terms, he said.

Should Ukraine accept the terms it would be compelled to give up its freedoms, he added. If rejected, the US would most likely break off cooperation and intelligence sharing, a crucial source of battlefield information for Ukraine's forces. "There is no good way out of this for now," he noted.

Diverse Perspectives from Ukrainian Citizens

A different commuter, 19-year-old Sofia Barchan, asserted that the country would "keep strong" lacking US backing. We will continue our struggle as needed. Our territory will remain our territory, including Crimea and the east. It belongs to Ukraine." She said Zelenskyy was a "smart person" and predicted he would not cede territory.

Speaking in the rain, near a historical monument, Olena Ivanovna said she was grateful to Trump for his attempts to broker peace. She said that Ukraine should be ready ceding certain regions temporarily if it meant keeping America as a partner. "President Zelenskyy should hold a referendum and ask the people," she proposed.

European Leaders Criticize the Proposal

Previous European leaders have roundly condemned the plan. Finland’s former prime minister Marin described it as a catastrophe, not only for Ukraine and Ukrainians but for democracies worldwide. She warned if the west showed weakness and ignorance – similar to the 2014 Crimea annexation – further hostilities could arise.

Belgium's ex-PM, Verhofstadt, referenced Churchill’s definition regarding appeasement as someone who accommodates an aggressor. He continued: Trump aligns with Putin. Europe faces a choice between compromise and principles. Another moment of truth for our [European] union."