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Ex-leader Donald Trump indicated on Saturday that his Russian-prepared peace plan constituted "not my final offer", after fierce criticism from Ukraine's officials and commentators who likened it to the 1938 Munich agreement between Neville Chamberlain and Adolf Hitler.

During brief comments from the White House, Trump informed reporters: Our goal is to achieve peace. This should have occurred earlier … we are attempting to conclude it, in any case we have to get it ended."

Upcoming Geneva Talks Include Various Countries

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

Prior to these discussions, American lawmakers informed the press that Secretary of State Marco Rubio reached out to them while en route to Geneva to clarify the nature of this disclosed proposal. He said, this plan "was not the administration’s plan" but instead a "wish list of the Russians", according to Senator King, who serves on the Foreign Relations Committee.

Zelenskyy Faces Crucial Time Limit

However, the former president has set Volodymyr Zelenskyy a deadline of Thursday for signing the 28-point document. It calls on Ukraine to cede territory under its control to Russia, downsize the size of its army, and surrender long-range weapons. Additionally, it rules out a European peacekeeping force and penalties for Russian war crimes.

During a solemn speech last Friday, the Ukrainian leader cautioned that Ukraine faces a difficult decision over the coming days involving keeping its national dignity and losing a major partner in the shape of the US. Zelenskyy acknowledged that Ukraine is experiencing an extremely challenging period historically.

Ukraine's Negotiating Delegation Formed for Geneva Meetings

Speaking on Saturday, the president said that genuine or "dignified" peace depends on assured safety and fairness. He announced a delegation, appointed by presidential decree, that would soon meet American representatives in Switzerland, led by top aide Andriy Yermak.

Another member from Ukraine's team, ex-defense head and security council official Rustem Umerov, said they will hold discussions with Washington regarding potential terms for a peace deal.

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

International Response and Concerns

Zelenskyy has attempted to participate positively with a White House apparently intent to end the conflict based on Russian conditions. He has emphasized he cannot give up Ukraine’s sovereignty or abandon the constitutional framework that protects the country’s current borders.

During a summit held in South Africa, G20 leaders and the European Council issued a collective declaration pushing back on the proposed deal, saying it requires further refinement. It said that EU and Nato members would need to be consulted regarding certain clauses, which rule out Kyiv’s Nato membership and put conditions on its European Union membership.

Citizen Opinion in Kyiv

Responses from Ukrainians to the proposal, drawn up by a Russian representative 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 public figure who led the 2014 Maidan protests, remarked it drew comparisons with the Munich Agreement. Trumps’s peace plan belonged to 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 said his anger 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 families of deported children to Russian territory. "A rather cynical agreement," he concluded.

Speaking in Kyiv’s Golden Gate metro station, Dmytro Sariskyi, 21, commented that Russia had been trying to dominate Ukraine "for years". It conceded "barely anything" in the Trump agreement 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 remarked.

If Zelenskyy signed off on the proposals it would be compelled to sacrifice its liberties, he said. If rejected, the US might cease collaboration and intelligence exchange, a vital resource of military intelligence for frontline Ukrainian troops. "There is no good way out of this for now," he remarked.

Diverse Perspectives from Ukrainian Citizens

Another passenger, teenager Barchan, said that Ukraine would remain resilient without American support. "We will fight for as long as it takes. Crimea and the eastern regions are part of Ukraine. It belongs to Ukraine." She said Zelenskyy was a "smart person" and predicted he would not give up Ukrainian land.

Speaking in the rain, near a historical monument, Olena Ivanovna said she was grateful to the former US leader for his peace-making efforts. She said that Ukraine should be ready to give away Crimea and the eastern Donbas region for a limited time if it ensured maintaining US support. "President Zelenskyy should hold a referendum and ask the people," she said.

EU Leaders Condemn the Proposal

Former European heads of state have strongly criticized the plan. Finland’s former prime minister Sanna Marin called it a disaster, not only for Ukraine and Ukrainians but for "all of the democratic world". She said if the west showed weakness and ignorance – similar to the 2014 Crimea annexation – further hostilities would follow.

The former prime minister of Belgium, Verhofstadt, quoted Churchill’s definition regarding appeasement as "one who feeds a crocodile, hoping it will eat him last". He added: "Trump now takes Putin’s side. Europe faces a choice between compromise and principles. Another moment of truth for our [European] union."