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

During short remarks at the White House, Trump informed journalists: Our goal is to achieve peace. This should have occurred earlier … we’re trying to get it ended, in any case it must be resolved."

Upcoming Geneva Talks Include Multiple Nations

US and Ukrainian officials will meet in Switzerland this Sunday for discussions on the plan. Security officials from France, Britain and Germany will also participate in these negotiations there.

Prior to the talks, US senators informed media outlets that State Department head Marco Rubio contacted them during his travel to Geneva for clarification on the details of this disclosed proposal. According to him, this plan did not originate from the administration but rather a "wish list of the Russians", as reported by Senator Angus King, who serves on the Foreign Relations Committee.

Ukraine's President Faces Critical Time Limit

However, the former president has given Volodymyr Zelenskyy a deadline of Thursday for signing this multi-point agreement. It calls on Kyiv to give up territory it currently controls to Russia, downsize the size of its army, and surrender long-range weapons. It also rules out a European peacekeeping force and penalties for Russian war crimes.

During a solemn speech last Friday, Zelenskyy cautioned that his country confronts a difficult decision over the coming days between preserving the nation's honor and losing a major partner like the United States. He admitted that it faces an extremely challenging period in its history.

Ukraine's Negotiating Team Appointed for Geneva Meetings

In comments this weekend, the president emphasized that real or respectable resolution was always based on assured safety and fairness. He revealed a delegation, established through a decree, which will meet American representatives in Switzerland, led by top aide Andriy Yermak.

A additional delegate from Ukraine's team, former defence minister and national security council secretary Umerov, said they will hold consultations with the US "on the possible parameters of a future peace agreement".

Hinting at red lines, Umerov added: 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 Criticism

The Ukrainian president has attempted to engage constructively with the US administration apparently intent 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.

During a summit held in South Africa, G20 leaders and the European Council issued a joint statement opposing the proposed deal, stating it requires "additional work". The statement indicated that members of the EU and NATO would need to be consulted regarding certain clauses, that exclude Ukraine's NATO accession and impose terms on its European Union membership.

Public Views in Kyiv

Responses from Ukrainians to the text, drawn up by a Russian representative and Trump’s representative, have been largely negative. Analysts said it was a blueprint for further Russian aggression: not only of Ukraine but other European regions as well.

Nayyem, a public figure who led Ukraine’s 2014 pro-democracy Maidan revolution, said it drew comparisons with the Munich Agreement. The proposal came from a similar category, 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. 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 rather cynical agreement," he concluded.

Speaking in a Kyiv subway station, Dmytro Sariskyi, 21, said that Moscow has attempted to dominate Ukraine over many years. The agreement offered "barely anything" in the proposed deal 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 it would be compelled to give up its freedoms, he said. If rejected, the US might cease collaboration and intelligence exchange, a crucial source of battlefield information for frontline Ukrainian troops. Currently, there is no favorable solution, he remarked.

Diverse Viewpoints from the Public

A different commuter, 19-year-old Barchan, said that Ukraine 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 Zelenskyy was a "smart person" and forecasted he would not cede territory.

While speaking during rainfall, next to a replica of Kyiv’s original medieval gate, Ivanovna mentioned she was grateful to the former US leader for his attempts to broker peace. She said that the nation should be ready ceding certain regions temporarily if it ensured keeping America as a partner. "President Zelenskyy should hold a referendum and ask the people," she said.

EU Officials Criticize the Proposal

Previous European leaders have strongly criticized the plan. Ex-PM of Finland Marin described it as a disaster, affecting not just Ukraine but for democracies worldwide. She said if the west showed weakness and ignorance – similar to the 2014 Crimea annexation – further hostilities would follow.

Belgium's ex-PM, Verhofstadt, quoted 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. A critical juncture for the European Union."