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Ex-leader Donald Trump remarked this past weekend that his Moscow-drafted peace plan was "not my final offer", following fierce criticism from Ukraine's officials and commentators that compared it to a Munich pact of 1938 between Chamberlain and Adolf Hitler.

During brief remarks at the White House, the US president told reporters: "We’d like to get to peace. This should have occurred earlier … we are attempting to conclude it, in any case it must be resolved."

Upcoming Geneva Talks Involve Various Nations

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

Ahead of the talks, American lawmakers informed the press that State Department head Marco Rubio reached out to them while en route to Switzerland to clarify the details of the leaked plan. He said, the proposal did not originate from the administration but instead a "wish list of the Russians", according to independent Maine senator King, who serves on the Foreign Relations Committee.

Zelenskyy Confronts Crucial Time Limit

However, Trump has set Volodymyr Zelenskyy a deadline of Thursday for signing this multi-point agreement. The document requires Kyiv to give up territory it currently controls to Russia, reduce its military forces, and relinquish advanced weaponry. Additionally, it rules out international peacekeepers and penalties for Russian war crimes.

During a solemn address on Friday, Zelenskyy cautioned that his country confronts a difficult decision in the near future involving keeping its national dignity and losing a major partner like the United States. Zelenskyy acknowledged that Ukraine is experiencing an extremely challenging period historically.

Ukrainian Negotiating Team Appointed for Geneva Meetings

Speaking on Saturday, the president emphasized that genuine or respectable resolution depends on assured safety and fairness. He revealed a negotiating team, established by presidential decree, which will meet its US counterparts in Geneva, led by top aide Yermak.

A additional delegate from Ukraine's team, ex-defense head and security council official Umerov, said they will hold consultations with Washington "on the possible parameters of a future peace agreement".

Suggesting red lines, 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."

Global Reaction and Criticism

The Ukrainian president has attempted to participate positively with a White House seemingly determined to resolve the war based on Russian conditions. He has emphasized that he will not surrender Ukraine’s sovereignty or disregard a constitution that enshrines the country’s current borders.

During a summit held in South Africa, leaders from the G20 and the European Council issued a joint statement opposing Trump’s plan, stating it needs further refinement. The statement indicated that EU and Nato members must be involved on some of its provisions, that exclude Ukraine's NATO accession and impose terms on its European Union membership.

Public Views in Ukraine's Capital

Responses from Ukrainians to the text, drawn up by a Russian representative and Trump’s representative, have been largely negative. Commentators said it outlined a plan for further Russian aggression: targeting not just Ukraine but of other parts of Europe too.

Nayyem, a public figure involved in Ukraine’s 2014 pro-democracy Maidan revolution, said it invited parallels with Chamberlain’s infamous Munich deal. Trumps’s peace plan came from the same "recognisable genre", with the victim invited "to formulate his own defeat so everyone else can live easier".

On social media, he expressed he was outraged by its "full" amnesty for Russian war crimes. This offended those who sought shelter in affected cities – where Russian troops executed hundreds of civilians – and families of deported children to Russian territory. "A rather cynical agreement," he stated.

Speaking in a Kyiv subway station, Sariskyi, 21, commented that Moscow has attempted to control Ukraine politically and territorially over many years. The agreement offered very little in the Trump agreement and continued to keep its forces on Ukrainian soil. In my view, this deal aims to undermine Ukraine and impose unfair terms, he remarked.

If Zelenskyy signed off on the proposals Kyiv would be forced to give up its freedoms, he added. If it didn’t, the US might cease collaboration and intelligence exchange, a crucial source of battlefield information for Ukraine's forces. Currently, there is no favorable solution, he remarked.

Varied Perspectives from Ukrainian Citizens

A different commuter, teenager Sofia Barchan, said that the country would "keep strong" without American support. We will continue our struggle as needed. Our territory will remain our territory, including Crimea and the east. They are Ukrainian land." She expressed Zelenskyy was a "smart person" and predicted he would not cede territory.

Speaking in the rain, near a historical monument, Ivanovna mentioned her appreciation to Trump for his attempts to broker peace. She said that Ukraine should be ready to give away certain regions temporarily if it meant maintaining US support. "President Zelenskyy should hold a referendum and ask the people," she proposed.

European Officials Criticize the Proposal

Former European heads of state have roundly condemned the plan. Finland’s former prime minister Marin described it as a catastrophe, not only for Ukraine and Ukrainians but for democracies worldwide. She said if the west showed weakness and ignorance – similar to the 2014 Crimea annexation – further hostilities would follow.

Belgium's ex-PM, Guy Verhofstadt, referenced Churchill’s definition regarding appeasement as "one who feeds a crocodile, hoping it will eat him last". He continued: Trump aligns with Putin. Europe must choose again: appeasement or our values, imperialism or freedom. Another moment of truth for our [European] union."