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Ex-leader Donald Trump stated this past weekend that the Russian-prepared peace plan constituted "not my final offer", following intense criticism from Ukrainian leaders and analysts who compared it to a Munich pact of 1938 between Neville Chamberlain and Adolf Hitler.

In short comments at the White House, the US president informed reporters: Our goal is to achieve peace. It should’ve happened a long time ago … we are attempting to conclude it, one way or the other it must be resolved."

Upcoming Geneva Talks Include Multiple Nations

US and Ukrainian officials are scheduled to meet in Geneva on Sunday to discuss this proposal. Security officials from Germany, France, and the UK are expected to join these negotiations there.

Prior to these discussions, American lawmakers told the press that Secretary of State Marco Rubio contacted them while en route to Switzerland to clarify the nature of the leaked plan. He said, the proposal "was not the administration’s plan" but instead reflected Russian desires, according to independent Maine senator King, a member on the Foreign Relations Committee.

Zelenskyy Faces Crucial Deadline

However, Trump has given Zelenskyy until Thursday for signing this multi-point agreement. It calls on Ukraine to cede land under its control to Moscow, reduce the size of its army, and relinquish long-range weapons. Additionally, it excludes a European peacekeeping force and sanctions for atrocities committed by Russia.

In a sombre address on Friday, the Ukrainian leader cautioned that Ukraine faces a difficult decision in the near future involving keeping the nation's honor and losing a major partner like the United States. He admitted that it faces an extremely challenging period in its history.

Ukraine's Negotiating Team Formed for Geneva Meetings

In comments on Saturday, Zelenskyy said that genuine or "dignified" resolution depends on "guaranteed security and justice". He announced a negotiating team, appointed through a decree, that would soon meet its US counterparts in Switzerland, led by his chief of staff Andriy Yermak.

A additional delegate of the Ukrainian delegation, ex-defense head and security council official Umerov, said there would be discussions with the US regarding potential terms for a peace deal.

Hinting at limits, Umerov noted: Ukraine enters these talks with defined goals. This represents a continuation of recent discussions focused on harmonizing our plans for future actions."

Global Reaction and Concerns

Zelenskyy has sought to participate positively with a White House seemingly determined to resolve the war based on Russian conditions. He has made clear he cannot give up the nation's independence or disregard the constitutional framework that protects the country’s current borders.

At a meeting held in South Africa, G20 leaders and the European Council released a collective declaration opposing the proposed deal, stating it requires further refinement. The statement indicated that members of the EU and NATO would need to be consulted regarding certain clauses, that exclude Ukraine's NATO accession and impose terms on its future EU accession.

Citizen Views in Ukraine's Capital

Ukrainian reaction to the text, drawn up by Putin’s envoy and a US delegate, has been overwhelmingly hostile. Analysts said it was a blueprint for another Russian invasion: not only of Ukraine but other European regions too.

Nayyem, a public figure who led the 2014 Maidan protests, remarked it drew comparisons with Chamberlain’s infamous Munich deal. Trumps’s peace plan belonged to a similar category, where the affected party is asked "to formulate his own defeat so everyone else can live easier".

In a Facebook post, Nayyem said his anger by its "full" amnesty for Russian war crimes. It was an insult those who sought shelter in Bucha or Mariupol – 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.

Speaking in a Kyiv subway station, Sariskyi, 21, said that Russia had been trying to dominate Ukraine "for years". It conceded "barely anything" in the proposed deal and maintained its forces on Ukrainian soil. In my view, this deal aims to undermine Ukraine and impose unfair terms, he said.

Should Ukraine accept the terms Kyiv would be forced to sacrifice its liberties, he added. If it didn’t, the US might cease collaboration and intelligence exchange, a vital resource 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, teenager Sofia Barchan, said that the country would "keep strong" without American support. "We will fight for as long as it takes. Crimea and the eastern regions are part of Ukraine. They are Ukrainian land." She said that the president is intelligent and predicted he would not cede territory.

Speaking in the rain, next to a replica of Kyiv’s original medieval gate, Ivanovna mentioned she was grateful to Trump for his peace-making efforts. She said that the nation should be ready ceding certain regions for a limited time if it meant keeping America as a partner. "President Zelenskyy should hold a referendum and ask the people," she said.

European Leaders Criticize the Plan

Former European heads of state have strongly criticized this proposal. Finland’s former prime minister Marin called it a disaster, affecting not just Ukraine but for democracies worldwide. She said if the west showed weakness and ignorance – as it did in 2014 when Putin annexed Crimea – "more aggression and conflicts" would follow.

Belgium's ex-PM, Verhofstadt, quoted Churchill’s definition of an appeaser 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. A critical juncture for the European Union."