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Former President Donald Trump stated this past weekend that his Moscow-drafted peace plan was "not my final offer", following strong reaction from Ukrainian officials and commentators that likened it to a Munich pact of 1938 between Neville Chamberlain and Adolf Hitler.

In short comments at the White House, the US president told reporters: Our goal is to achieve peace. It should’ve happened a long time ago … we’re trying to get it ended, in any case we have to get it ended."

Forthcoming Geneva Talks Involve Multiple Nations

US and Ukrainian officials are scheduled to meet in Geneva this Sunday for discussions on this proposal. Security officials from France, Britain and Germany are expected to join these negotiations in Geneva.

Prior to these discussions, US senators told the press that State Department head Marco Rubio reached out to them during his travel to Switzerland to clarify the nature of the leaked plan. He said, this plan "was not the administration’s plan" but rather reflected Russian desires, as reported by Senator Angus King, a member on the Senate Foreign Relations Committee.

Ukraine's President Faces Crucial Time Limit

Nevertheless, Trump has set Zelenskyy a deadline of Thursday for signing this multi-point agreement. The document requires Ukraine to cede territory it currently controls to Moscow, reduce its military forces, and surrender long-range weapons. It also rules out international peacekeepers and sanctions for Russian war crimes.

In a sombre speech last Friday, the Ukrainian leader cautioned that Ukraine faces an impossible choice in the near future between keeping its national dignity and losing a major partner like the United States. Zelenskyy acknowledged that Ukraine is experiencing one of the most difficult moments historically.

Ukrainian Dialogue Team Formed for Upcoming Meetings

Speaking this weekend, Zelenskyy said that real or "dignified" peace depends on "guaranteed security and justice". He announced a delegation, established through a decree, which will meet its US counterparts in Switzerland, headed by top aide Andriy Yermak.

A additional delegate from Ukraine's team, former defence minister and national security council secretary Umerov, stated there would be discussions with the US "on the possible parameters of a future peace agreement".

Suggesting limits, he added: "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 attempted to engage constructively with a White House seemingly determined to resolve the war based on Russian conditions. He has emphasized that he will not surrender the nation's independence or disregard the constitutional framework that protects the country’s current borders.

At a meeting in South Africa, leaders from the G20 and EU representatives issued a collective declaration pushing back on Trump’s plan, stating it needs further refinement. It said that members of the EU and NATO must be involved regarding certain clauses, that exclude Ukraine's NATO accession and impose terms on its European Union membership.

Public Opinion in Ukraine's Capital

Responses from Ukrainians to the proposal, drawn up by Putin’s envoy and Trump’s representative, has been overwhelmingly hostile. Commentators said it outlined a plan for another Russian invasion: not only of Ukraine but other European regions as well.

Nayyem, a journalist and politician who led the 2014 Maidan protests, said it invited parallels with the Munich Agreement. 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 the complete pardon for Russian atrocities. 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 rather cynical agreement," he stated.

In an interview in Kyiv’s Golden Gate metro station, Sariskyi, a young adult, said that Russia had been trying to control Ukraine politically and territorially over many years. The agreement offered very little in the proposed deal and maintained its forces on Ukrainian soil. "I think the deal is an attempt to break Ukraine and force unjust conditions on us," he remarked.

Should Ukraine accept the terms it would be compelled to sacrifice its liberties, he added. If it didn’t, the US would most likely break off cooperation and intelligence sharing, a crucial source of battlefield information for frontline Ukrainian troops. Currently, there is no favorable solution, he remarked.

Diverse Perspectives from the Public

A different commuter, 19-year-old Sofia Barchan, asserted that Ukraine would "keep strong" without American support. "We will fight for as long as it takes. Our territory will remain our territory, including Crimea and the east. They are Ukrainian land." She said that the president is intelligent and predicted he would not give up Ukrainian land.

While speaking during rainfall, near a historical monument, Ivanovna mentioned she was grateful to Trump for his peace-making efforts. She suggested that Ukraine ought to consider ceding 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 Plan

Former European heads of state have strongly criticized this proposal. Finland’s former prime minister Marin described it as a disaster, not only for Ukraine and Ukrainians but for democracies worldwide. She said if Western nations display vulnerability – similar to the 2014 Crimea annexation – further hostilities could arise.

Belgium's ex-PM, Guy Verhofstadt, quoted a statement by Churchill regarding appeasement as "one who feeds a crocodile, hoping it will eat him last". He added: Trump aligns with Putin. Europe faces a choice between compromise and principles. Another moment of truth for our [European] union."