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Ex-leader Donald Trump stated this past weekend that the Moscow-drafted peace plan constituted not his ultimate proposal, following strong reaction from Ukraine's leaders and commentators who compared it to the 1938 Munich agreement between Neville Chamberlain and Adolf Hitler.

In short remarks at the White House, Trump told reporters: Our goal is to achieve peace. It should’ve happened a long time ago … we are attempting to conclude it, in any case it must be resolved."

Forthcoming Geneva Talks Involve Multiple Nations

Ukrainian and American delegates will meet in Switzerland on Sunday to discuss the plan. Security officials from Germany, France, and the UK will also participate in the talks in Geneva.

Ahead of the talks, American lawmakers informed the press that State Department head Marco Rubio contacted them during his travel to Geneva for clarification on the nature of the leaked plan. He said, the proposal "was not the administration’s plan" but instead a "wish list of the Russians", according to independent Maine senator Angus King, a member on the Senate Foreign Relations Committee.

Ukraine's President Faces Critical Time Limit

Nevertheless, Trump has set Volodymyr Zelenskyy until Thursday to sign the 28-point document. It calls on Kyiv to cede territory under its control to Russia, downsize its military forces, and surrender long-range weapons. Additionally, it excludes a European peacekeeping force and sanctions for Russian war crimes.

During a solemn address last Friday, the Ukrainian leader warned that Ukraine confronts an impossible choice in the near future between keeping the nation's honor and forfeiting a major partner in the shape of the US. Zelenskyy acknowledged that it faces one of the most difficult moments historically.

Ukrainian Negotiating Delegation Formed for Geneva Talks

In comments on Saturday, Zelenskyy said that genuine or "dignified" peace depends on assured safety and fairness. He revealed a delegation, appointed through a decree, that would soon meet American representatives in Switzerland, led by his chief of staff Yermak.

Another member of the Ukrainian delegation, ex-defense head and national security council secretary Umerov, stated there would be consultations with the US "on the possible parameters of a future peace agreement".

Hinting at red lines, he noted: "Ukraine approaches this process with a clear understanding of its interests. This represents a continuation of recent discussions focused on harmonizing our plans for future actions."

Global Reaction and Concerns

Zelenskyy has sought to participate positively with a White House seemingly determined to end the conflict on the Kremlin’s one-sided terms. He has made clear he cannot give up the nation's independence or disregard a constitution that protects Ukraine's territorial integrity.

During a summit held in South Africa, leaders from the G20 and the European Council issued a collective declaration pushing back on Trump’s plan, stating it requires further refinement. The statement indicated that EU and Nato members must be involved on some of its provisions, which rule out Kyiv’s Nato membership and put conditions on its future EU accession.

Citizen Opinion in Ukraine's Capital

Responses from Ukrainians to the proposal, prepared by Putin’s envoy and a US delegate, has been overwhelmingly hostile. Analysts argued it was a blueprint for further Russian aggression: not only of Ukraine but other European regions too.

Mustafa Nayyem, a journalist and politician who led the 2014 Maidan protests, remarked it drew comparisons with the Munich Agreement. Trumps’s peace plan belonged to 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 its "full" amnesty for Russian war crimes. It was an insult those who sought shelter in Bucha or Mariupol – where Russian troops executed hundreds of civilians – and families of deported children to Russian territory. "A rather cynical agreement," he concluded.

Speaking in a Kyiv subway station, Dmytro Sariskyi, a young adult, said that Moscow 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. 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 might cease collaboration and intelligence exchange, a vital resource of military intelligence for frontline Ukrainian troops. "There is no good way out of this for now," he noted.

Diverse Viewpoints from the Public

Another passenger, teenager Sofia Barchan, said that Ukraine would remain resilient 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 Zelenskyy was a "smart person" and predicted he would not give up Ukrainian land.

While speaking in the rain, next to a replica of Kyiv’s original medieval gate, Ivanovna mentioned she was grateful to the former US leader for his peace-making efforts. She suggested that Ukraine should be ready ceding certain regions for a limited time if it ensured keeping America as a partner. "President Zelenskyy should hold a referendum and ask the people," she said.

EU Leaders Condemn the Proposal

Previous European leaders have strongly criticized this proposal. Finland’s former prime minister Sanna Marin described it as a catastrophe, not only for Ukraine and Ukrainians but for "all of the democratic world". She said if Western nations display vulnerability – as it did in 2014 when Putin annexed Crimea – further hostilities would follow.

Belgium's ex-PM, Guy Verhofstadt, referenced Churchill’s definition 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."