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Ex-leader Trump stated this past weekend that the Russian-prepared proposal for peace was "not my final offer", after fierce backlash from Ukrainian officials and commentators who likened it to a 1938 Munich agreement between Chamberlain and Hitler.

In brief remarks at the White House, the US president informed reporters: Our goal is to achieve peace. This should have occurred earlier … we are attempting to conclude it, in any case it must be resolved."

Upcoming Geneva Negotiations Involve Various Countries

Ukrainian and American officials are scheduled to meet in Switzerland this Sunday to discuss the plan. Defense representatives from Germany, France, and the UK are expected to join the talks in Geneva.

Prior to the talks, American lawmakers told the press that State Department head Marco Rubio contacted them while en route to Switzerland for clarification on the nature of the leaked plan. He said, the proposal "was not the administration’s plan" but rather a "wish list of the Russians", as reported by independent Maine senator Angus King, who serves on the Senate Foreign Relations Committee.

Zelenskyy Faces Critical Deadline

Nevertheless, Trump has given Zelenskyy a deadline of Thursday to sign the 28-point document. It calls on Kyiv to cede territory it currently controls to Russia, reduce its military forces, and relinquish advanced weaponry. It also excludes international peacekeepers and penalties for atrocities committed by Russia.

During a solemn speech on Friday, the Ukrainian leader warned that Ukraine confronts a difficult decision over the coming days between preserving the nation's honor and losing key ally like the United States. Zelenskyy acknowledged that it faces an extremely challenging period in its history.

Ukraine's Dialogue Delegation Appointed for Upcoming Talks

In comments this weekend, the president said that genuine or respectable peace was always based on assured safety and fairness. He revealed a delegation, established by presidential decree, that would soon meet its US counterparts in Geneva, led by top aide Andriy Yermak.

A additional delegate of the Ukrainian delegation, ex-defense head 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, Umerov noted: Ukraine enters these talks with defined goals. This represents a continuation of recent discussions focused on harmonizing our plans for future actions."

International Response and Criticism

The Ukrainian president has sought to participate positively with a White House apparently intent to resolve the war on the Kremlin’s one-sided terms. He has made clear that he will not surrender Ukraine’s sovereignty or abandon the constitutional framework that enshrines Ukraine's territorial integrity.

During a summit in South Africa, G20 leaders and EU representatives released a collective declaration pushing back on Trump’s plan, saying it requires "additional work". It said that EU and Nato members would need to be consulted regarding certain clauses, that exclude Kyiv’s Nato membership and put conditions on its future EU accession.

Public Opinion in Ukraine's Capital

Responses from Ukrainians to the text, drawn up by Putin’s envoy and a US delegate, has been overwhelmingly hostile. Commentators argued it was a blueprint for further Russian aggression: not only of Ukraine but of other parts of Europe too.

Nayyem, a journalist and politician involved in the 2014 Maidan protests, remarked it invited parallels with the Munich Agreement. Trumps’s peace plan came from 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 its "full" amnesty for Russian war crimes. This offended those who sought shelter in Bucha or Mariupol – sites of civilian executions – and for those whose children had been forcibly deported to Russian territory. "A rather cynical agreement," he stated.

Speaking in a Kyiv subway station, Sariskyi, a young adult, commented that Moscow had been trying to dominate Ukraine over many years. It conceded "barely anything" in the Trump agreement and maintained its forces on Ukrainian soil. In my view, this deal aims to undermine Ukraine and impose unfair terms, he remarked.

Should Ukraine accept the terms Kyiv would be forced to give up its freedoms, he added. If rejected, the US might cease collaboration and intelligence exchange, a crucial source of military intelligence for frontline Ukrainian troops. "There is no good way out of this for now," he remarked.

Diverse Viewpoints from Ukrainian Citizens

A different commuter, teenager Sofia Barchan, said that the country would remain resilient without American support. "We will fight for as long as it takes. Crimea and the eastern regions are part of Ukraine. 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 her appreciation to Trump for his peace-making efforts. She suggested that the nation ought to consider to give away certain regions temporarily if it ensured keeping America as a partner. "President Zelenskyy should hold a referendum and ask the people," she proposed.

European Officials Condemn the Plan

Previous European leaders have strongly criticized the plan. Finland’s former prime minister Sanna Marin described it as a catastrophe, not only for Ukraine and Ukrainians but for democracies worldwide. She warned if the west showed weakness and ignorance – similar to the 2014 Crimea annexation – "more aggression and conflicts" could arise.

Belgium's ex-PM, Verhofstadt, referenced Churchill’s definition regarding appeasement as someone who accommodates an aggressor. He added: "Trump now takes Putin’s side. Europe must choose again: appeasement or our values, imperialism or freedom. Another moment of truth for our [European] union."