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Ex-leader Donald Trump stated on Saturday that the Russian-prepared proposal for peace constituted "not my final offer", following fierce criticism from Ukraine's officials and commentators that likened it to a 1938 Munich agreement involving Chamberlain and Hitler.

During short remarks from the White House, Trump told journalists: Our goal is to achieve peace. This should have occurred earlier … we’re trying to get it ended, in any case we have to get it ended."

Forthcoming Geneva Negotiations Involve Multiple Nations

Ukrainian and American officials are scheduled to meet in Switzerland this Sunday to discuss this proposal. Defense representatives from France, Britain and Germany are expected to join these negotiations there.

Ahead of the talks, US senators told the press that Secretary of State Marco Rubio reached out to them during his travel to Switzerland to clarify the details of the leaked plan. He said, the proposal did not originate from the administration but rather a "wish list of the Russians", according to independent Maine senator Angus King, who serves on the Foreign Relations Committee.

Zelenskyy Confronts Crucial Time Limit

However, Trump has given Zelenskyy until Thursday for signing this multi-point agreement. The document requires Ukraine to cede land under its control to Russia, downsize the size of its army, and relinquish long-range weapons. Additionally, it excludes international peacekeepers and sanctions for atrocities committed by Russia.

During a solemn speech last Friday, the Ukrainian leader cautioned that his country faces an impossible choice in the near future between keeping the nation's honor and losing key ally in the shape of the US. Zelenskyy acknowledged that it faces one of the most difficult moments in its history.

Ukrainian Dialogue Team Formed for Upcoming Meetings

In comments on Saturday, the president said that real or "dignified" resolution was always based on "guaranteed security and justice". He revealed a delegation, established by presidential decree, that would soon meet American representatives in Switzerland, headed by top aide Yermak.

Another member of the Ukrainian delegation, former defence minister and security council official Rustem Umerov, said there would be consultations with Washington "on the possible parameters of a future peace agreement".

Hinting at limits, Umerov added: 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 Response and Concerns

The Ukrainian president has attempted to engage constructively with a White House apparently intent to resolve the war based on Russian conditions. He has made clear that he will not surrender Ukraine’s sovereignty or abandon the constitutional framework that enshrines Ukraine's territorial integrity.

At a meeting in South Africa, leaders from the G20 and EU representatives released a collective declaration pushing back on Trump’s plan, stating it requires "additional work". The statement indicated that EU and Nato members would need to be consulted on some of its provisions, which rule out Ukraine's NATO accession and impose terms on its future EU accession.

Citizen Opinion in Ukraine's Capital

Responses from Ukrainians to the text, prepared by a Russian representative and a US delegate, has been overwhelmingly hostile. Commentators said it was a blueprint for further Russian aggression: not only of Ukraine but of other parts of Europe as well.

Mustafa Nayyem, a journalist and politician involved in the 2014 Maidan protests, remarked it drew comparisons with the Munich Agreement. The proposal came from a similar category, where the affected party is asked to outline its own surrender for broader convenience.

In a Facebook post, he expressed he was outraged by the complete pardon for Russian atrocities. This offended those who sought shelter in affected cities – where Russian troops executed hundreds of civilians – and for those whose children had been forcibly deported to Russia. "A rather cynical agreement," he concluded.

Speaking in Kyiv’s Golden Gate metro station, Dmytro Sariskyi, 21, commented that Moscow had been trying to dominate Ukraine over many years. It conceded "barely anything" in the Trump agreement and continued to keep troops in Ukraine. 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 give up its freedoms, he said. 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 Ukraine would remain resilient 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 predicted he would not give up Ukrainian land.

While speaking during rainfall, next to a replica of Kyiv’s original medieval gate, Ivanovna said she was grateful to Trump for his attempts to broker peace. She suggested that the nation should be ready ceding Crimea and the eastern Donbas region for a limited time if it meant keeping America as a partner. The president should conduct a public vote on this matter, she proposed.

European Leaders Condemn the Proposal

Former European heads of state have roundly condemned this proposal. Ex-PM of Finland Marin called it a catastrophe, affecting not just Ukraine but for democracies worldwide. She said if Western nations display vulnerability – as it did in 2014 when Putin annexed Crimea – "more aggression and conflicts" would follow.

Belgium's ex-PM, Guy Verhofstadt, referenced a statement by Churchill regarding appeasement as someone who accommodates an aggressor. He continued: Trump aligns with Putin. Europe must choose again: appeasement or our values, imperialism or freedom. A critical juncture for the European Union."