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Ex-leader Donald Trump remarked on Saturday that the Moscow-drafted peace plan constituted not his ultimate proposal, after intense backlash from Ukraine's officials and commentators that likened it to a 1938 Munich agreement between Chamberlain and Hitler.

In short comments at the White House, Trump told journalists: Our goal is to achieve peace. It should’ve happened a long time ago … we are attempting to conclude it, in any case we have to get it ended."

Upcoming Switzerland Talks Involve Various Nations

Ukrainian and American delegates are scheduled to meet in Geneva on Sunday for discussions on this proposal. Defense representatives from Germany, France, and the UK will also participate in these negotiations there.

Prior to the talks, US senators told media outlets that Secretary of State Marco Rubio contacted them during his travel to Switzerland to clarify the details of this disclosed proposal. He said, this plan did not originate from the administration but rather a "wish list of the Russians", according to Senator Angus King, a member on the Foreign Relations Committee.

Ukraine's President Faces Critical Deadline

However, the former president has given Zelenskyy until Thursday to sign this multi-point agreement. It calls on Kyiv to give up land under its control to Moscow, downsize the size of its army, and surrender long-range weapons. Additionally, it excludes a European peacekeeping force and sanctions for atrocities committed by Russia.

During a solemn address on Friday, Zelenskyy warned that Ukraine confronts an impossible choice in the near future involving keeping the nation's honor and forfeiting a major partner like the United States. Zelenskyy acknowledged that Ukraine is experiencing one of the most difficult moments historically.

Ukraine's Dialogue Delegation Formed for Geneva Meetings

Speaking on Saturday, Zelenskyy emphasized that genuine or respectable peace was always based on "guaranteed security and justice". He revealed a delegation, appointed by presidential decree, that would soon meet its US counterparts in Switzerland, led by his chief of staff Yermak.

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

Suggesting limits, Umerov noted: 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 Reaction and Criticism

The Ukrainian president has attempted to engage constructively with the US administration seemingly determined to resolve the war on the Kremlin’s one-sided terms. He has made clear that he will not surrender the nation's independence or disregard the constitutional framework that enshrines Ukraine's territorial integrity.

During a summit in South Africa, leaders from the G20 and the European Council issued a joint statement pushing back on Trump’s plan, saying it needs further refinement. The statement indicated that EU and Nato members must be involved on some of its provisions, which rule out Ukraine's NATO accession and impose terms on its future EU accession.

Citizen Views in Ukraine's Capital

Responses from Ukrainians to the text, drawn up by Putin’s envoy and Trump’s representative, have been largely negative. Commentators argued it outlined a plan for another Russian invasion: targeting not just Ukraine but of other parts of Europe as well.

Mustafa Nayyem, a journalist and politician who led Ukraine’s 2014 pro-democracy Maidan revolution, remarked it invited parallels with Chamberlain’s infamous Munich deal. The proposal came from the same "recognisable genre", with the victim invited to outline its own surrender for broader convenience.

On social media, he said he was outraged by its "full" amnesty for Russian war crimes. This offended people who had hidden in basements in affected cities – where Russian troops executed hundreds of civilians – and families of deported children to Russian territory. A deeply cynical deal, he stated.

In an interview in Kyiv’s Golden Gate metro station, Dmytro Sariskyi, 21, said that Russia has attempted to control Ukraine politically and territorially over many years. The agreement offered very little in the Trump agreement and continued to keep troops in Ukraine. "I think the deal is an attempt to break Ukraine and force unjust conditions on us," he said.

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 noted.

Varied Perspectives from the Public

Another passenger, teenager Sofia Barchan, asserted that the country would remain resilient without American support. "We will fight for as long as it takes. Crimea and the eastern regions are part of Ukraine. It belongs to Ukraine." She said Zelenskyy was a "smart person" and predicted he would not cede territory.

While speaking during rainfall, next to a replica of Kyiv’s original medieval gate, Ivanovna mentioned her appreciation to Trump for his peace-making efforts. She suggested that the nation ought to consider to give away Crimea and the eastern Donbas region for a limited time if it meant maintaining US support. "President Zelenskyy should hold a referendum and ask the people," she said.

European Leaders Criticize the Proposal

Former European heads of state have strongly criticized the plan. Ex-PM of Finland Sanna Marin described it as a catastrophe, affecting not just Ukraine but for democracies worldwide. She said if Western nations display vulnerability – similar to the 2014 Crimea annexation – "more aggression and conflicts" could arise.

Belgium's ex-PM, Verhofstadt, referenced a statement by Churchill regarding appeasement as someone who accommodates an aggressor. He continued: "Trump now takes Putin’s side. Europe faces a choice between compromise and principles. Another moment of truth for our [European] union."