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Former President Trump remarked this past weekend that his Moscow-drafted proposal for peace constituted "not my final offer", after fierce backlash from Ukrainian leaders and analysts who likened it to a 1938 Munich agreement between Neville Chamberlain and Adolf Hitler.

During short 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, in any case it must be resolved."

Forthcoming Geneva Negotiations Involve Various Countries

Ukrainian and American officials are scheduled to meet in Geneva this Sunday for discussions on the plan. Defense representatives from Germany, France, and the UK are expected to join these negotiations in Geneva.

Ahead of the talks, US senators informed media outlets that State Department head Rubio contacted them while en route to Switzerland to clarify the nature of the leaked plan. He said, this plan "was not the administration’s plan" but rather a "wish list of the Russians", according to Senator Angus King, who serves on the Senate Foreign Relations Committee.

Ukraine's President Confronts Critical Deadline

Nevertheless, Trump has set Volodymyr Zelenskyy until Thursday for signing this multi-point agreement. The document requires Kyiv to give up land under its control to Russia, downsize the size of its army, and relinquish advanced weaponry. Additionally, it excludes international peacekeepers and sanctions for atrocities committed by Russia.

During a solemn speech on Friday, the Ukrainian leader warned that his country faces an impossible choice in the near future involving keeping its national dignity and losing a major partner like the United States. He admitted that Ukraine is experiencing one of the most difficult moments in its history.

Ukrainian Dialogue Team Formed for Geneva Talks

Speaking on Saturday, Zelenskyy said that real or "dignified" peace was always based on assured safety and fairness. He revealed a delegation, established by presidential decree, which will meet American representatives in Geneva, headed by his chief of staff Andriy Yermak.

A additional delegate from Ukraine's team, former defence minister and national security council secretary Umerov, stated they will hold consultations with Washington 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 attempted to participate positively with the US administration seemingly determined to end the conflict based on Russian conditions. He has made clear that he will not surrender the nation's independence or disregard the constitutional framework that protects the country’s current borders.

During a summit held in South Africa, leaders from the G20 and the European Council released a joint statement pushing back on the proposed deal, stating it needs "additional work". It said that members of the EU and NATO must be involved on some of its provisions, which rule out Ukraine's NATO accession and impose terms on its future EU accession.

Citizen Views in Kyiv

Responses from Ukrainians to the proposal, prepared by Putin’s envoy and a US delegate, have been largely negative. Analysts argued it outlined a plan for further Russian aggression: not only of Ukraine but of other parts of Europe 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. The proposal belonged to a similar category, where the affected party is asked to outline its own surrender for broader convenience.

On social media, Nayyem expressed his anger by its "full" amnesty for Russian war crimes. This offended people who had hidden in basements in affected cities – where Russian troops executed hundreds of civilians – and families of deported children to Russia. A deeply cynical deal, he stated.

Speaking in a Kyiv subway station, Dmytro Sariskyi, 21, commented that Moscow had been trying to control Ukraine politically and territorially "for years". The agreement offered very little in the proposed deal and continued to keep its forces on Ukrainian soil. "I think the deal is an attempt to break Ukraine and force unjust conditions on us," he said.

Should Ukraine accept the terms it would be compelled 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 battlefield information for frontline Ukrainian troops. "There is no good way out of this for now," he noted.

Varied Perspectives from the Public

A different commuter, teenager Barchan, asserted that Ukraine would "keep strong" lacking US backing. We will continue our struggle as needed. Crimea and the eastern regions are part of Ukraine. It belongs to Ukraine." She expressed that the president is intelligent and forecasted he would not give up Ukrainian land.

While speaking in the rain, near a historical monument, Olena Ivanovna said she was grateful to the former US leader for his attempts to broker peace. She suggested that the nation should be ready to give away Crimea and the eastern Donbas region temporarily if it ensured maintaining US support. The president should conduct a public vote on this matter, she said.

European Officials Condemn the Plan

Former European heads of state have roundly condemned this proposal. Finland’s former prime minister Sanna Marin described it as a disaster, affecting not just Ukraine but for democracies worldwide. She warned if Western nations display vulnerability – as it did in 2014 when Putin annexed Crimea – further hostilities would follow.

The former prime minister of Belgium, Verhofstadt, referenced a statement by Churchill of an appeaser as someone who accommodates an aggressor. He continued: "Trump now takes Putin’s side. Europe faces a choice between compromise and principles. A critical juncture for the European Union."