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Ex-leader Trump stated this past weekend that the Russian-prepared peace plan constituted not his ultimate proposal, after intense criticism from Ukrainian leaders and commentators that likened it to the Munich pact of 1938 involving Neville Chamberlain and Adolf Hitler.

In brief remarks from the White House, the US president told journalists: 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 Involve Multiple Nations

Ukrainian and American officials are scheduled to meet in Geneva on Sunday to discuss this proposal. Defense representatives from Germany, France, and the UK will also participate in these negotiations in Geneva.

Ahead of these discussions, American lawmakers told the press that State Department head Rubio reached out to them during his travel to Geneva to clarify the nature of the leaked plan. He said, the proposal did not originate from the administration but rather reflected Russian desires, according to independent Maine senator King, a member on the Senate Foreign Relations Committee.

Ukraine's President Confronts Critical Time Limit

However, the former president has given Volodymyr Zelenskyy until Thursday for signing this multi-point agreement. It calls on Kyiv to give up territory it currently controls to Moscow, downsize its military forces, and relinquish long-range weapons. Additionally, it rules out international peacekeepers and penalties for atrocities committed by Russia.

In a sombre speech last Friday, the Ukrainian leader warned that his country confronts a difficult decision in the near future between preserving the nation's honor and losing key ally like the United States. Zelenskyy acknowledged that it faces an extremely challenging period historically.

Ukrainian Negotiating Team Formed for Upcoming Meetings

Speaking this weekend, Zelenskyy said that genuine or "dignified" peace was always based on assured safety and fairness. He revealed a negotiating team, appointed by presidential decree, which will meet its US counterparts in Geneva, led by top aide Yermak.

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

Hinting at limits, he noted: 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."

International Reaction and Concerns

Zelenskyy has sought to engage constructively with a White House apparently intent to end the conflict on the Kremlin’s one-sided terms. He has made clear he cannot give up Ukraine’s sovereignty or abandon a constitution that enshrines Ukraine's territorial integrity.

During a summit held in South Africa, G20 leaders and the European Council issued a collective declaration opposing Trump’s plan, saying it needs "additional work". The statement indicated that EU and Nato members would need to be consulted on some of its provisions, that exclude Kyiv’s Nato membership and impose terms on its European Union membership.

Citizen Views in Ukraine's Capital

Ukrainian reaction to the proposal, drawn up by Putin’s envoy and Trump’s representative, has been overwhelmingly hostile. Commentators argued it outlined a plan for another Russian invasion: targeting not just Ukraine but of other parts of Europe too.

Nayyem, a journalist and politician who led the 2014 Maidan protests, said 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".

On social media, Nayyem said his anger by the complete pardon for Russian atrocities. It was an insult people who had hidden in basements in Bucha or Mariupol – where Russian troops executed hundreds of civilians – and for those whose children had been forcibly deported to Russia. "A rather cynical agreement," he stated.

Speaking in Kyiv’s Golden Gate metro station, Sariskyi, a young adult, commented that Moscow had been trying to dominate Ukraine "for years". It conceded "barely anything" in the proposed deal and maintained its forces on Ukrainian soil. "I think the deal is an attempt to break Ukraine and force unjust conditions on us," he said.

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 Ukraine's forces. Currently, there is no favorable solution, he noted.

Diverse Perspectives from the Public

Another passenger, 19-year-old Barchan, asserted that the country 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 that the president is intelligent and predicted he would not cede territory.

While speaking during rainfall, next to a replica of Kyiv’s original medieval gate, Ivanovna said she was grateful to the former US leader for his attempts to broker peace. She suggested that Ukraine ought to consider ceding certain regions for a limited time if it meant keeping America as a partner. The president should conduct a public vote on this matter, she proposed.

EU Leaders Condemn the Proposal

Former European heads of state have strongly criticized the plan. Ex-PM of Finland Sanna Marin called it a catastrophe, affecting not just Ukraine but for "all of the democratic world". She warned 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 Churchill’s definition of an appeaser as someone who accommodates an aggressor. He continued: Trump aligns with Putin. Europe faces a choice between compromise and principles. Another moment of truth for our [European] union."