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Former President Donald Trump indicated this past weekend that the Moscow-drafted peace plan was "not my final offer", after fierce reaction from Ukrainian officials and analysts that likened it to a Munich pact of 1938 involving Chamberlain and Adolf Hitler.

During short comments at the White House, Trump informed journalists: "We’d like to get to peace. This should have occurred earlier … we are attempting to conclude it, in any case we have to get it ended."

Forthcoming Geneva Negotiations Involve Multiple Countries

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

Prior to the talks, US senators informed media outlets that State Department head Marco Rubio contacted them while en route to Geneva for clarification on the details of the leaked plan. He said, this plan "was not the administration’s plan" but rather a "wish list of the Russians", according to Senator King, a member on the Senate Foreign Relations Committee.

Ukraine's President Confronts Critical Deadline

However, Trump has given Volodymyr Zelenskyy a deadline of Thursday to sign the 28-point document. It calls on Kyiv to give up land under its control to Russia, reduce its military forces, and surrender long-range weapons. Additionally, it rules out a European peacekeeping force and penalties for atrocities committed by Russia.

In a sombre address on Friday, Zelenskyy warned that his country faces an impossible choice in the near future between preserving the nation's honor and losing a major partner like the United States. Zelenskyy acknowledged that Ukraine is experiencing an extremely challenging period historically.

Ukrainian Dialogue Team Formed for Upcoming Talks

In comments this weekend, the president said that genuine or respectable peace depends on assured safety and fairness. He revealed a delegation, appointed by presidential decree, which will meet American representatives in Switzerland, led by his chief of staff Andriy Yermak.

A additional delegate from Ukraine's team, ex-defense head and national security council secretary Umerov, said there would be discussions with Washington "on the possible parameters of a future peace agreement".

Hinting at red lines, he 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 Criticism

The Ukrainian president has attempted to engage constructively with the US administration seemingly determined to end the conflict based on Russian conditions. He has emphasized he cannot give up Ukraine’s sovereignty or disregard the constitutional framework that enshrines the country’s current borders.

At a meeting held in South Africa, G20 leaders and EU representatives released a collective declaration opposing Trump’s plan, stating it requires "additional work". It said that members of the EU and NATO must be involved regarding certain clauses, which rule out Kyiv’s Nato membership and impose terms on its European Union membership.

Public Views in Kyiv

Ukrainian reaction to the text, prepared by Putin’s envoy and a US delegate, have been largely negative. Commentators argued it was a blueprint for further Russian aggression: targeting not just Ukraine but other European regions as well.

Nayyem, a public figure who led the 2014 Maidan protests, remarked it invited parallels with the Munich Agreement. The proposal belonged to a similar category, with the victim invited to outline its own surrender for broader convenience.

On social media, he expressed he was outraged by its "full" amnesty for Russian war crimes. This offended 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 stated.

In an interview in Kyiv’s Golden Gate metro station, Dmytro Sariskyi, a young adult, commented that Russia had been trying to control Ukraine politically and territorially over many years. The agreement offered very little in the Trump agreement and continued to keep troops in Ukraine. 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 rejected, the US might cease collaboration and intelligence exchange, a crucial source of battlefield information for Ukraine's forces. "There is no good way out of this for now," he remarked.

Diverse Perspectives from the Public

A different commuter, teenager Barchan, asserted that the country would remain resilient lacking US backing. We will continue our struggle as needed. Crimea and the eastern regions are part of Ukraine. They are Ukrainian land." She said 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, Olena Ivanovna said her appreciation to Trump for his peace-making efforts. She said that Ukraine should be ready ceding Crimea and the eastern Donbas region for a limited time if it ensured keeping America as a partner. The president should conduct a public vote on this matter, she proposed.

European Officials Criticize the Proposal

Previous European leaders have strongly criticized the plan. Ex-PM of Finland Marin called it a catastrophe, not only for Ukraine and Ukrainians but for democracies worldwide. She warned if Western nations display vulnerability – similar to the 2014 Crimea annexation – further hostilities could arise.

Belgium's ex-PM, Guy Verhofstadt, quoted Churchill’s definition of an appeaser as "one who feeds a crocodile, hoping it will eat him last". He continued: Trump aligns with Putin. Europe faces a choice between compromise and principles. Another moment of truth for our [European] union."