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Former President Donald Trump stated this past weekend that his Moscow-drafted peace plan constituted not his ultimate proposal, after intense backlash from Ukrainian officials and commentators who compared it to a 1938 Munich agreement between Chamberlain and Hitler.

In brief comments from the White House, Trump informed reporters: "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 Talks Include Various Countries

Ukrainian and American delegates are scheduled to meet in Switzerland this Sunday for discussions on the plan. Security officials from Germany, France, and the UK are expected to join the talks in Geneva.

Prior to the talks, American lawmakers informed media outlets that Secretary of State Marco Rubio contacted them during his travel to Switzerland for clarification on the details of the leaked plan. He said, this plan "was not the administration’s plan" but rather a "wish list of the Russians", according to independent Maine senator Angus King, a member on the Foreign Relations Committee.

Ukraine's President Faces Crucial Deadline

However, the former president has set Volodymyr Zelenskyy until Thursday for signing the 28-point document. The document requires Ukraine to cede territory under its control to Russia, reduce the size of its army, and surrender long-range weapons. It also rules out a European peacekeeping force and sanctions for Russian war crimes.

During a solemn address last Friday, the Ukrainian leader cautioned that his country faces an impossible choice in the near future involving keeping the nation's honor and losing key ally in the shape of the US. He admitted that it faces one of the most difficult moments historically.

Ukraine's Negotiating Delegation Appointed for Upcoming Meetings

In comments this weekend, the president said that genuine or "dignified" resolution depends on "guaranteed security and justice". He revealed a delegation, established through a decree, that would soon meet American representatives in Switzerland, headed by top aide Yermak.

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

Hinting at red lines, Umerov 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."

International Reaction and Concerns

Zelenskyy has sought to engage constructively with the US administration apparently intent to resolve the war on the Kremlin’s one-sided terms. He has made clear that he will not surrender Ukraine’s sovereignty or abandon a constitution that protects Ukraine's territorial integrity.

During a summit held in South Africa, leaders from the G20 and the European Council issued a collective declaration pushing back on the proposed deal, saying it requires further refinement. 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 put conditions on its future EU accession.

Public Opinion in Kyiv

Ukrainian reaction to the text, prepared by a Russian representative and a US delegate, has been overwhelmingly hostile. Analysts said it outlined a plan for another Russian invasion: not only of Ukraine but of other parts of Europe too.

Nayyem, a public figure involved in Ukraine’s 2014 pro-democracy Maidan revolution, said it drew comparisons with the Munich Agreement. 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".

On social media, he said he was outraged by the complete pardon for Russian atrocities. This offended people who had hidden in basements in affected cities – where Russian troops executed hundreds of civilians – and for those whose children had been forcibly deported to Russian territory. A deeply cynical deal, he concluded.

In an interview in Kyiv’s Golden Gate metro station, Sariskyi, 21, said that Russia has attempted to control Ukraine politically and territorially "for years". It conceded "barely anything" in the Trump agreement and continued to keep troops in Ukraine. "I think the deal is an attempt to break Ukraine and force unjust conditions on us," he remarked.

Should Ukraine accept the terms Kyiv would be forced to give up its freedoms, he said. If rejected, the US would most likely break off cooperation and intelligence sharing, a crucial source of battlefield information for Ukraine's forces. Currently, there is no favorable solution, he remarked.

Varied Viewpoints from the Public

Another passenger, teenager Barchan, said that Ukraine would remain resilient 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 expressed that the president is intelligent and forecasted he would not cede territory.

Speaking in the rain, next to a replica of Kyiv’s original medieval gate, Olena Ivanovna mentioned her appreciation to Trump for his attempts to broker peace. She said that Ukraine ought to consider ceding certain regions temporarily if it meant maintaining US support. The president should conduct a public vote on this matter, she said.

EU Officials Criticize the Plan

Previous European leaders have roundly condemned the plan. Finland’s former prime minister Sanna Marin called it a catastrophe, affecting not just Ukraine but for democracies worldwide. She warned if Western nations display vulnerability – as it did in 2014 when Putin annexed Crimea – "more aggression and conflicts" could arise.

The former prime minister of Belgium, Guy Verhofstadt, quoted a statement by Churchill of an appeaser as "one who feeds a crocodile, hoping it will eat him last". He continued: Trump aligns with Putin. Europe faces a choice between compromise and principles. Another moment of truth for our [European] union."