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Former President Donald Trump stated this past weekend that his Moscow-drafted proposal for peace was "not my final offer", after intense backlash from Ukraine's leaders and commentators who compared it to a Munich pact of 1938 between Chamberlain and Hitler.

In short remarks from the White House, Trump told journalists: "We’d like to get to peace. This should have occurred earlier … we’re trying to get it ended, one way or the other we have to get it ended."

Upcoming Switzerland Negotiations Involve Various Countries

US and Ukrainian delegates will meet in Switzerland on Sunday to discuss this proposal. Security officials from France, Britain and Germany are expected to join these negotiations there.

Ahead of these discussions, American lawmakers told the press that Secretary of State Rubio reached out to them during his travel to Switzerland for clarification on the details of the leaked plan. He said, the proposal did not originate from the administration but rather a "wish list of the Russians", as reported by Senator King, a member on the Foreign Relations Committee.

Ukraine's President Faces Critical Time Limit

However, Trump has set Zelenskyy until Thursday for signing the 28-point document. The document requires Kyiv to give up land it currently controls to Russia, downsize the size of its army, and surrender advanced weaponry. Additionally, it excludes a European peacekeeping force and penalties for Russian war crimes.

In a sombre address last Friday, Zelenskyy warned that Ukraine confronts a difficult decision over the coming days between keeping the nation's honor and forfeiting key ally like the United States. Zelenskyy acknowledged that it faces an extremely challenging period in its history.

Ukrainian Negotiating Delegation Formed for Geneva Talks

Speaking on Saturday, Zelenskyy said that genuine or "dignified" peace depends on "guaranteed security and justice". He announced a delegation, appointed by presidential decree, which will meet American representatives in Switzerland, headed by top aide Yermak.

A additional delegate from Ukraine's team, former defence minister and security council official Umerov, stated they will hold discussions with the US "on the possible parameters of a future peace agreement".

Suggesting limits, Umerov noted: "Ukraine approaches this process with a clear understanding of its interests. 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."

Global Response and Concerns

Zelenskyy has sought to participate positively with a White House apparently intent to end the conflict based on Russian conditions. He has made clear he cannot give up the nation's independence or abandon the constitutional framework that protects the country’s current borders.

At a meeting in South Africa, leaders from the G20 and EU representatives released a joint statement pushing back on Trump’s plan, saying it requires further refinement. It said that EU and Nato members must be involved regarding certain clauses, that exclude Ukraine's NATO accession and put conditions on its European Union membership.

Public Opinion in Kyiv

Ukrainian reaction to the proposal, prepared by Putin’s envoy and Trump’s representative, have been largely negative. Commentators argued it outlined a plan for another Russian invasion: not only of Ukraine but other European regions too.

Nayyem, a public figure who led Ukraine’s 2014 pro-democracy Maidan revolution, remarked it invited parallels with the Munich Agreement. Trumps’s peace plan came from the same "recognisable genre", with the victim invited to outline its own surrender for broader convenience.

On social media, he expressed his anger by its "full" amnesty for Russian war crimes. It was an insult those who sought shelter in Bucha or Mariupol – sites of civilian executions – and families of deported children to Russia. "A rather cynical agreement," he stated.

Speaking in Kyiv’s Golden Gate metro station, Sariskyi, a young adult, said that Russia had been trying to control Ukraine politically and territorially "for years". The agreement offered very little in the Trump agreement and maintained troops in Ukraine. "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 crucial source of military intelligence for Ukraine's forces. "There is no good way out of this for now," he noted.

Diverse Viewpoints from Ukrainian Citizens

Another passenger, 19-year-old Barchan, asserted that Ukraine would "keep strong" without American support. "We will fight for as long as it takes. 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 give up Ukrainian land.

While speaking during rainfall, near a historical monument, Ivanovna said she was grateful to the former US leader for his attempts to broker peace. She said that Ukraine ought to consider ceding Crimea and the eastern Donbas region temporarily if it ensured maintaining US support. "President Zelenskyy should hold a referendum and ask the people," she proposed.

European Leaders Condemn the Plan

Former European heads of state have strongly criticized this proposal. Finland’s former prime minister Marin described it as 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" would follow.

The former prime minister of Belgium, Guy Verhofstadt, quoted Churchill’s definition regarding appeasement as "one who feeds a crocodile, hoping it will eat him last". He continued: "Trump now takes Putin’s side. Europe must choose again: appeasement or our values, imperialism or freedom. Another moment of truth for our [European] union."