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Ex-leader Trump indicated on Saturday that the Moscow-drafted proposal for peace was not his ultimate proposal, following intense reaction from Ukraine's leaders and commentators who likened it to a Munich pact of 1938 involving Neville Chamberlain and Adolf Hitler.

In brief comments at the White House, the US president 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."

Upcoming Switzerland Negotiations Include Multiple Nations

US and Ukrainian delegates are scheduled to meet in Switzerland on Sunday to discuss the plan. Defense representatives from Germany, France, and the UK are expected to join the talks there.

Prior to these discussions, US senators informed media outlets 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, this plan did not originate from the administration but instead reflected Russian desires, as reported by Senator Angus King, a member on the Foreign Relations Committee.

Zelenskyy Confronts Critical Deadline

Nevertheless, the former president has given Zelenskyy until Thursday to sign this multi-point agreement. The document requires Kyiv to give up territory it currently controls to Russia, downsize the size of its army, and relinquish long-range weapons. Additionally, it rules out international peacekeepers and penalties for atrocities committed by Russia.

In a sombre speech on Friday, the Ukrainian leader cautioned that Ukraine confronts an impossible choice over the coming days involving preserving the nation's honor and forfeiting key ally like the United States. He admitted that Ukraine is experiencing one of the most difficult moments in its history.

Ukrainian Dialogue Team Formed for Geneva Meetings

Speaking this weekend, the president emphasized that genuine or "dignified" resolution depends on assured safety and fairness. He revealed a negotiating team, established through a decree, which will meet its US counterparts in Geneva, headed by top aide Yermak.

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

Hinting at limits, Umerov noted: "Ukraine approaches this process with a clear understanding of its interests. This represents a continuation of recent discussions focused on harmonizing our plans for future actions."

International Reaction and Criticism

Zelenskyy has attempted to engage constructively with the US administration seemingly determined to resolve the war based on Russian conditions. He has emphasized he cannot give up Ukraine’s sovereignty or abandon the constitutional framework that enshrines the country’s current borders.

At a meeting in South Africa, leaders from the G20 and the European Council released a joint statement pushing back on the proposed deal, stating it requires "additional work". 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 European Union membership.

Public Views in Kyiv

Ukrainian reaction to the text, drawn up by a Russian representative and Trump’s representative, have been largely negative. Commentators argued it outlined a plan for another Russian invasion: 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, Nayyem expressed he was outraged by its "full" amnesty for Russian war crimes. It was an insult people who had hidden in basements in affected cities – sites of civilian executions – and for those whose children had been forcibly deported to Russia. "A rather cynical agreement," he stated.

In an interview in Kyiv’s Golden Gate metro station, Dmytro Sariskyi, 21, commented that Moscow had been trying to control Ukraine politically and territorially "for years". The agreement offered very little 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 said.

Should Ukraine accept the terms Kyiv would be forced to give up its freedoms, he added. If rejected, the US might cease collaboration and intelligence exchange, a crucial source of military intelligence for Ukraine's forces. "There is no good way out of this for now," he remarked.

Varied Perspectives from the Public

Another passenger, 19-year-old Sofia Barchan, said that the country would "keep strong" 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 said that the president is intelligent and predicted he would not cede territory.

Speaking during rainfall, next to a replica of Kyiv’s original medieval gate, Ivanovna mentioned she was grateful to Trump for his attempts to broker peace. She suggested that Ukraine ought to consider 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 proposed.

EU Officials Criticize the Proposal

Former European heads of state have strongly criticized this proposal. Ex-PM of Finland Marin called it a catastrophe, not only for Ukraine and Ukrainians but for "all of the democratic world". She warned if the west showed weakness and ignorance – as it did in 2014 when Putin annexed Crimea – further hostilities 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."