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Ex-leader Donald Trump stated on Saturday that his Moscow-drafted proposal for peace was not his ultimate proposal, following strong reaction from Ukrainian officials and commentators who compared it to the Munich pact of 1938 involving Neville Chamberlain and Hitler.

In brief remarks at the White House, Trump told journalists: Our goal is to achieve peace. It should’ve happened a long time ago … we’re trying to get it ended, in any case it must be resolved."

Forthcoming Switzerland Talks Include Multiple Countries

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

Prior to these discussions, US senators told media outlets that Secretary of State Rubio reached out to them while en route to Switzerland to clarify the details of this disclosed proposal. He said, this plan did not originate from the administration but rather reflected Russian desires, as reported by Senator King, who serves on the Senate Foreign Relations Committee.

Zelenskyy Faces Critical Deadline

Nevertheless, Trump has set Volodymyr Zelenskyy until Thursday to sign the 28-point document. The document requires Ukraine to give up land under its control to Russia, reduce its military forces, and surrender advanced weaponry. It also excludes international peacekeepers and sanctions for Russian war crimes.

During a solemn address on Friday, Zelenskyy warned that Ukraine faces an impossible choice in the near future between preserving the nation's honor and losing key ally in the shape of the US. He admitted that Ukraine is experiencing an extremely challenging period historically.

Ukrainian Dialogue Team Appointed for Geneva Meetings

In comments this weekend, the president said that real or "dignified" resolution was always based on "guaranteed security and justice". He announced a negotiating team, established by presidential decree, which will meet its US counterparts in Geneva, headed by top aide Andriy Yermak.

Another member from Ukraine's team, former defence minister and national security council secretary Umerov, stated they will hold consultations with Washington "on the possible parameters of a future peace agreement".

Suggesting red lines, 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."

Global Reaction and Concerns

Zelenskyy has sought to participate positively with a White House apparently intent to resolve the war based on Russian conditions. He has emphasized that he will not surrender the nation's independence or abandon the constitutional framework that protects the country’s current borders.

At a meeting in South Africa, G20 leaders and the European Council released a collective declaration pushing back on Trump’s plan, saying it needs "additional work". It said that EU and Nato members must be involved on some of its provisions, that exclude Ukraine's NATO accession and put conditions on its European Union membership.

Citizen Opinion in Kyiv

Ukrainian reaction to the proposal, prepared by a Russian representative and a US delegate, has been overwhelmingly hostile. Commentators argued it was a blueprint for another Russian invasion: not only of Ukraine but of other parts of Europe as well.

Mustafa Nayyem, a journalist and politician who led the 2014 Maidan protests, remarked it drew comparisons with the Munich Agreement. The proposal came from a similar category, where the affected party is asked "to formulate his own defeat so everyone else can live easier".

In a Facebook post, Nayyem expressed his anger by the complete pardon for Russian atrocities. It was an insult those who sought shelter in affected cities – sites of civilian executions – and for those whose children had been forcibly deported to Russian territory. "A rather cynical agreement," he concluded.

Speaking in Kyiv’s Golden Gate metro station, Sariskyi, a young adult, said that Moscow had been trying to control Ukraine politically and territorially over many years. It conceded "barely anything" 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 said.

If Zelenskyy signed off on the proposals Kyiv would be forced to sacrifice its liberties, 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. Currently, there is no favorable solution, he remarked.

Varied Perspectives from the Public

Another passenger, teenager Barchan, asserted that the country would "keep strong" lacking US backing. We will continue our struggle as needed. Crimea and the eastern regions are part of Ukraine. It belongs to Ukraine." She said that the president is intelligent and forecasted he would not cede territory.

While speaking during rainfall, next to a replica of Kyiv’s original medieval gate, Olena Ivanovna said her appreciation to Trump for his attempts to broker peace. She said that Ukraine should be ready ceding Crimea and the eastern Donbas region temporarily if it ensured maintaining US support. "President Zelenskyy should hold a referendum and ask the people," she said.

European Officials Criticize the Plan

Previous European leaders have strongly criticized this proposal. Ex-PM of Finland Sanna Marin called it a disaster, not only for Ukraine and Ukrainians but for "all of the democratic world". She said if the west showed weakness and ignorance – as it did in 2014 when Putin annexed Crimea – "more aggression and conflicts" could arise.

The former prime minister of Belgium, Verhofstadt, referenced a statement by Churchill of an appeaser as someone who accommodates an aggressor. He continued: Trump aligns with Putin. Europe faces a choice between compromise and principles. Another moment of truth for our [European] union."