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Former President Trump stated on Saturday that the Moscow-drafted peace plan constituted not his ultimate proposal, after fierce backlash from Ukrainian officials and analysts that likened it to the 1938 Munich agreement between Neville Chamberlain and Adolf Hitler.

During short remarks from the White House, the US president told journalists: Our goal is to achieve peace. It should’ve happened a long time ago … we’re trying to get it ended, one way or the other it must be resolved."

Upcoming Switzerland Negotiations Include Various Countries

Ukrainian and American delegates will meet in Switzerland on Sunday to discuss this proposal. Defense representatives from France, Britain and Germany are expected to join these negotiations in Geneva.

Prior to the talks, American lawmakers informed media outlets that State Department head Marco Rubio reached out to them while en route to Geneva for clarification on the details of this disclosed proposal. According to him, this plan "was not the administration’s plan" but rather reflected Russian desires, as reported by independent Maine senator King, a member on the Foreign Relations Committee.

Zelenskyy Faces Crucial Deadline

Nevertheless, the former president has given Zelenskyy until Thursday for signing the 28-point document. It calls on Kyiv to cede territory it currently controls to Moscow, downsize the size of its army, and relinquish advanced weaponry. It also rules out international peacekeepers and sanctions for atrocities committed by Russia.

In a sombre speech last Friday, the Ukrainian leader cautioned that Ukraine confronts an impossible choice in the near future between keeping its national dignity and forfeiting key ally in the shape of the US. Zelenskyy acknowledged that it faces an extremely challenging period historically.

Ukraine's Dialogue Delegation Formed for Upcoming Meetings

In comments this weekend, the president said that real or "dignified" peace depends on "guaranteed security and justice". He revealed a negotiating team, appointed by presidential decree, that would soon meet American representatives in Switzerland, led by his chief of staff Andriy Yermak.

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

Suggesting limits, he noted: "Ukraine approaches this process with a clear understanding of its interests. 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

Zelenskyy has sought to participate positively with a White House apparently intent to end the conflict based on Russian conditions. He has emphasized that he will not surrender the nation's independence or abandon a constitution that enshrines Ukraine's territorial integrity.

At a meeting held in South Africa, G20 leaders and EU representatives released a joint statement pushing back on Trump’s plan, saying it requires further refinement. The statement indicated that members of the EU and NATO would need to be consulted on some of its provisions, which rule out Kyiv’s Nato membership and impose terms on its future EU accession.

Public Views in Ukraine's Capital

Responses from Ukrainians to the proposal, prepared by a Russian representative and Trump’s representative, have been largely negative. Analysts said it outlined a plan for further Russian aggression: not only of Ukraine but of other parts of Europe as well.

Nayyem, a journalist and politician who led Ukraine’s 2014 pro-democracy Maidan revolution, remarked it drew comparisons with Chamberlain’s infamous Munich deal. Trumps’s peace plan belonged to 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 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 stated.

Speaking in a Kyiv subway station, Dmytro Sariskyi, a young adult, said that Moscow had been trying to control Ukraine politically and territorially "for years". It conceded "barely anything" in the Trump agreement and maintained 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 Kyiv would be forced to give up its freedoms, he added. If rejected, the US would most likely break off cooperation and intelligence sharing, a vital resource of battlefield information for Ukraine's forces. "There is no good way out of this for now," he noted.

Diverse Perspectives from Ukrainian Citizens

Another passenger, teenager Barchan, asserted that Ukraine would "keep strong" without American support. We will continue our struggle as needed. Our territory will remain our territory, including Crimea and the east. It belongs to Ukraine." She expressed that the president is intelligent and predicted he would not give up Ukrainian land.

While speaking in the rain, next to a replica of Kyiv’s original medieval gate, Olena Ivanovna said she was grateful to Trump for his attempts to broker peace. She said that Ukraine ought to consider to give away certain regions temporarily if it meant maintaining US support. "President Zelenskyy should hold a referendum and ask the people," she said.

European Officials Criticize the Proposal

Previous European leaders 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, 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. Another moment of truth for our [European] union."