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Former President Donald Trump remarked this past weekend that the Moscow-drafted peace plan constituted "not my final offer", following fierce backlash from Ukraine's officials and commentators that compared it to the Munich pact of 1938 between Neville Chamberlain and Hitler.

During short comments from the White House, Trump informed journalists: Our goal is to achieve 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."

Forthcoming Geneva Negotiations Include Multiple Nations

Ukrainian and American delegates will meet in Geneva on Sunday to discuss the plan. Security officials from France, Britain and Germany will also participate in these negotiations there.

Ahead of the talks, US senators told media outlets that Secretary of State Rubio contacted them during his travel to Geneva to clarify the details of the leaked plan. According to him, 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 Critical Deadline

However, the former president has given Zelenskyy a deadline of Thursday to sign this multi-point agreement. It calls on Ukraine to give up territory under its control to Moscow, reduce the size of its army, and surrender long-range weapons. Additionally, it excludes international peacekeepers and penalties for atrocities committed by Russia.

In a sombre speech last Friday, the Ukrainian leader cautioned that Ukraine confronts a difficult decision in the near future between keeping the nation's honor and forfeiting a major partner like the United States. Zelenskyy acknowledged that Ukraine is experiencing an extremely challenging period in its history.

Ukrainian Dialogue Team Formed for Upcoming Talks

In comments this weekend, Zelenskyy said that real or respectable peace depends on "guaranteed security and justice". He announced a negotiating team, appointed through a decree, which will meet its US counterparts in Switzerland, led by his chief of staff Andriy Yermak.

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

Suggesting red lines, he added: Ukraine enters these talks with defined goals. This represents a continuation of recent discussions focused on harmonizing our plans for future actions."

Global Response and Criticism

The Ukrainian president has sought to engage constructively with a White House seemingly determined to resolve the war on the Kremlin’s one-sided terms. 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 in South Africa, leaders from the G20 and the European Council issued a joint statement opposing the proposed deal, stating it needs "additional work". It said that EU and Nato members must be involved regarding certain clauses, that exclude Kyiv’s Nato membership and put conditions on its future EU accession.

Citizen Views in Kyiv

Ukrainian reaction to the text, drawn up by Putin’s envoy and a US delegate, has been overwhelmingly hostile. Commentators said it was a blueprint for further Russian aggression: targeting not just Ukraine but of other parts of Europe too.

Mustafa Nayyem, a public figure who led Ukraine’s 2014 pro-democracy Maidan revolution, remarked it drew comparisons with Chamberlain’s infamous Munich deal. The proposal belonged to the same "recognisable genre", with the victim invited to outline its own surrender for broader convenience.

In a Facebook post, Nayyem said his anger by the complete pardon for Russian atrocities. It was an insult those who sought shelter 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 concluded.

In an interview in a Kyiv subway station, Sariskyi, 21, said that Moscow has attempted to dominate Ukraine over many years. It conceded very little in the Trump agreement and maintained troops in Ukraine. "I think the deal is an attempt to break Ukraine and force unjust conditions on us," he remarked.

If Zelenskyy signed off on the proposals Kyiv would be forced to give up its freedoms, he said. 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. "There is no good way out of this for now," he remarked.

Diverse Viewpoints from the Public

Another passenger, teenager Barchan, asserted that Ukraine would remain resilient without American support. "We will fight for as long as it takes. Our territory will remain our territory, including Crimea and the east. It belongs to Ukraine." She said that the president is intelligent and forecasted he would not give up Ukrainian land.

Speaking in the rain, near a historical monument, Ivanovna mentioned her appreciation to Trump for his attempts to broker peace. She said that the nation ought to consider to give away certain regions for a limited time if it meant maintaining US support. The president should conduct a public vote on this matter, she said.

EU Officials Criticize the Plan

Previous European leaders have roundly condemned this proposal. Ex-PM of Finland Marin called it a catastrophe, affecting not just Ukraine but for "all of the democratic world". She warned if Western nations display vulnerability – similar to the 2014 Crimea annexation – further hostilities could arise.

Belgium's ex-PM, Verhofstadt, quoted Churchill’s definition of an appeaser as someone who accommodates an aggressor. He added: Trump aligns with Putin. Europe faces a choice between compromise and principles. Another moment of truth for our [European] union."