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Ex-leader Trump remarked this past weekend that the Moscow-drafted peace plan constituted not his ultimate proposal, following strong backlash from Ukraine's leaders and commentators who likened it to a 1938 Munich agreement involving Neville Chamberlain and Hitler.

In brief comments from the White House, the US president 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."

Upcoming Switzerland Talks Include Various Nations

US and Ukrainian officials are scheduled to meet in Geneva this Sunday to discuss this proposal. Defense representatives from France, Britain and Germany are expected to join these negotiations there.

Prior to these discussions, American lawmakers told the press that State Department head Rubio contacted them during his travel to Geneva for clarification on the nature of this disclosed proposal. According to him, this plan "was not the administration’s plan" but rather reflected Russian desires, according to independent Maine senator Angus King, a member on the Foreign Relations Committee.

Ukraine's President Confronts Crucial Deadline

Nevertheless, Trump has given Zelenskyy a deadline of Thursday for signing this multi-point agreement. It calls on Kyiv to cede land under its control to Moscow, downsize its military forces, and surrender advanced weaponry. It also excludes a European peacekeeping force and sanctions for Russian war crimes.

In a sombre speech last Friday, Zelenskyy warned that his country faces an impossible choice in the near future involving preserving its national dignity and losing a major partner in the shape of the US. Zelenskyy acknowledged that it faces an extremely challenging period in its history.

Ukrainian Negotiating Team Formed for Geneva Talks

Speaking this weekend, the president emphasized that genuine or "dignified" resolution was always based on assured safety and fairness. He announced a negotiating team, established through a decree, which will meet American representatives in Switzerland, headed by top aide Yermak.

Another member of the Ukrainian delegation, former defence minister and national security council secretary Umerov, stated there would be discussions with Washington regarding potential terms for a peace deal.

Hinting at limits, Umerov added: "Ukraine approaches this process with a clear understanding of its interests. 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."

International Response and Concerns

The Ukrainian president has sought to participate positively with the US administration seemingly determined to resolve the war based on Russian conditions. He has emphasized that he will not surrender Ukraine’s sovereignty or disregard the constitutional framework that enshrines Ukraine's territorial integrity.

At a meeting in South Africa, leaders from the G20 and the European Council issued a joint statement pushing back on the proposed deal, saying it requires "additional work". The statement indicated that members of the EU and NATO would need to be consulted on some of its provisions, which rule out Kyiv’s Nato membership and impose terms on its European Union membership.

Public Views in Kyiv

Ukrainian reaction to the proposal, prepared by a Russian representative and Trump’s representative, has been overwhelmingly hostile. Commentators argued it outlined a plan for further Russian aggression: targeting not just Ukraine but other European regions too.

Mustafa Nayyem, a public figure involved in Ukraine’s 2014 pro-democracy Maidan revolution, said it invited parallels with the Munich Agreement. Trumps’s peace plan 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 its "full" amnesty for Russian war crimes. It was an insult those who sought shelter in affected cities – 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, commented that Moscow had been trying to dominate Ukraine "for years". The agreement offered very little in the proposed deal and maintained troops in Ukraine. In my view, this deal aims to undermine Ukraine and impose unfair terms, he remarked.

Should Ukraine accept the terms it would be compelled to sacrifice its liberties, he added. If it didn’t, 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 Barchan, said that Ukraine would remain resilient lacking US backing. "We will fight for as long as it takes. Crimea and the eastern regions are part of Ukraine. It belongs to Ukraine." She expressed Zelenskyy was a "smart person" and predicted he would not cede territory.

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

EU Leaders Criticize the Proposal

Previous European leaders have strongly criticized this proposal. Finland’s former prime minister Marin described it as a catastrophe, affecting not just Ukraine 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 – further hostilities would follow.

Belgium's ex-PM, Verhofstadt, quoted a statement by Churchill of an appeaser as "one who feeds a crocodile, hoping it will eat him last". He continued: "Trump now takes Putin’s side. Europe must choose again: appeasement or our values, imperialism or freedom. A critical juncture for the European Union."