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Former President Donald Trump stated this past weekend that his Moscow-drafted proposal for peace constituted not his ultimate proposal, following strong backlash from Ukraine's leaders and commentators that compared it to the Munich pact of 1938 between Chamberlain and Hitler.

In brief comments at the White House, the US president told journalists: "We’d like to get to peace. This should have occurred earlier … we’re trying to get it ended, in any case we have to get it ended."

Upcoming Geneva Talks Include Various Countries

US and Ukrainian delegates will meet in Geneva this Sunday for discussions on this proposal. Defense representatives from France, Britain and Germany are expected to join these negotiations there.

Ahead of these discussions, American lawmakers informed the press that State Department head Marco Rubio reached out to them during his travel to Switzerland for clarification on the nature of this disclosed proposal. He said, this plan "was not the administration’s plan" but instead reflected Russian desires, as reported by independent Maine senator King, a member on the Foreign Relations Committee.

Ukraine's President Confronts Crucial Deadline

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

In a sombre address on Friday, the Ukrainian leader cautioned that Ukraine confronts a difficult decision in the near future between keeping its national dignity and forfeiting a major partner in the shape of the US. He admitted that it faces an extremely challenging period historically.

Ukraine's Negotiating Delegation Formed for Geneva Talks

Speaking this weekend, the president said that genuine or "dignified" resolution was always based on assured safety and fairness. He announced a delegation, appointed through a decree, that would soon meet American representatives in Switzerland, headed by his chief of staff Andriy Yermak.

A additional delegate from Ukraine's team, ex-defense head and national security council secretary Umerov, said there would be consultations with the US regarding potential terms for a peace deal.

Hinting at red lines, he added: Ukraine enters these talks with defined goals. This represents a continuation of recent discussions focused on harmonizing our plans for future actions."

International Reaction and Criticism

The Ukrainian president has sought to engage constructively with a White House seemingly determined 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 abandon the constitutional framework that protects Ukraine's territorial integrity.

During a summit in South Africa, G20 leaders and EU representatives released a collective declaration pushing back on Trump’s plan, stating it needs "additional work". It said 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 Kyiv

Responses from Ukrainians to the text, drawn up by a Russian representative and Trump’s representative, have been largely negative. Commentators argued it outlined a plan for further Russian aggression: targeting not just Ukraine but other European regions as well.

Nayyem, a journalist and politician who led Ukraine’s 2014 pro-democracy Maidan revolution, said it drew comparisons with the Munich Agreement. Trumps’s peace plan came from the same "recognisable genre", where the affected party is asked to outline its own surrender for broader convenience.

In a Facebook post, he said 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 Kyiv’s Golden Gate metro station, Sariskyi, a young adult, said that Russia had been trying to dominate Ukraine over many years. It conceded very little 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.

If Zelenskyy signed off on the proposals it would be compelled to sacrifice its liberties, he added. If it didn’t, the US might cease collaboration and intelligence exchange, a vital resource of battlefield information for frontline Ukrainian troops. "There is no good way out of this for now," he remarked.

Varied Viewpoints from the Public

Another passenger, 19-year-old Sofia Barchan, asserted that the country would "keep strong" lacking US backing. "We will fight for as long as it takes. Our territory will remain our territory, including Crimea and the east. They are Ukrainian land." She said Zelenskyy was a "smart person" and forecasted he would not give up Ukrainian land.

Speaking in the rain, near a historical monument, Ivanovna mentioned her appreciation to the former US leader for his peace-making efforts. She suggested that the nation should be ready to give away certain regions for a limited time if it meant maintaining US support. "President Zelenskyy should hold a referendum and ask the people," she said.

EU Officials Criticize the Plan

Previous European leaders have strongly criticized the plan. Finland’s former prime minister Marin called it a disaster, 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 could arise.

Belgium's ex-PM, Guy Verhofstadt, quoted Churchill’s definition of an appeaser as "one who feeds a crocodile, hoping it will eat him last". He added: Trump aligns with Putin. Europe faces a choice between compromise and principles. Another moment of truth for our [European] union."