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Former President Trump remarked this past weekend that his Russian-prepared proposal for peace constituted "not my final offer", after intense backlash from Ukrainian leaders and commentators who likened it to a Munich pact of 1938 between Chamberlain and Hitler.

In brief comments at the White House, Trump told journalists: "We’d like to get to peace. This should have occurred earlier … we’re trying to get it ended, in any case it must be resolved."

Upcoming Geneva Talks Involve Various Nations

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 there.

Ahead of the talks, US senators informed the press that Secretary of State Marco Rubio contacted them during his travel to Geneva for clarification on the details of this disclosed proposal. He said, this plan did not originate from the administration but instead reflected Russian desires, according to Senator Angus King, a member on the 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 cede land under its control to Moscow, downsize its military forces, and relinquish advanced weaponry. It also rules out a European peacekeeping force and penalties for atrocities committed by Russia.

In a sombre address last Friday, Zelenskyy warned that Ukraine confronts an impossible choice in the near future between keeping the nation's honor and forfeiting key ally in the shape of the US. Zelenskyy acknowledged that it faces an extremely challenging period historically.

Ukrainian Dialogue Team Appointed for Geneva Talks

In comments on Saturday, Zelenskyy emphasized that real or "dignified" peace depends on assured safety and fairness. He revealed a negotiating team, appointed through a decree, that would soon meet its US counterparts in Switzerland, headed by his chief of staff Yermak.

A additional delegate from Ukraine's team, former defence minister and national security council secretary Umerov, stated there would be consultations with Washington regarding potential terms for a peace deal.

Suggesting red lines, Umerov 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."

Global Reaction and Concerns

Zelenskyy has sought to engage constructively with a White House seemingly determined to resolve the war based on Russian conditions. He has emphasized 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, leaders from the G20 and the European Council released a joint statement opposing Trump’s plan, saying it needs further refinement. The statement indicated that EU and Nato members would need to be consulted on some of its provisions, that exclude Ukraine's NATO accession and impose terms on its European Union membership.

Public Opinion in Kyiv

Responses from Ukrainians to the proposal, drawn up by a Russian representative and Trump’s representative, have been largely negative. Commentators argued it outlined a plan for another Russian invasion: targeting not just Ukraine but other European regions as well.

Mustafa Nayyem, a public figure involved in the 2014 Maidan protests, remarked it invited parallels with Chamberlain’s infamous Munich deal. Trumps’s peace plan came from the same "recognisable genre", with the victim invited "to formulate his own defeat so everyone else can live easier".

In a Facebook post, Nayyem said his anger by its "full" amnesty for Russian war crimes. This offended those who sought shelter in affected cities – sites of civilian executions – and families of deported children to Russian territory. "A rather cynical agreement," he stated.

Speaking in Kyiv’s Golden Gate metro station, Sariskyi, 21, said that Moscow had been trying to dominate Ukraine over many years. The agreement offered very little in the Trump agreement and maintained troops in Ukraine. "I think the deal is an attempt to break Ukraine and force unjust conditions on us," he said.

If Zelenskyy signed off on the proposals Kyiv would be forced to give up its freedoms, he said. If it didn’t, the US would most likely break off cooperation and intelligence sharing, a vital resource of battlefield information for Ukraine's forces. "There is no good way out of this for now," he remarked.

Diverse Viewpoints from the Public

Another passenger, teenager Barchan, asserted that Ukraine would remain resilient lacking US backing. We will continue our struggle as needed. Our territory will remain our territory, including Crimea and the east. It belongs to Ukraine." She said that the president is intelligent and predicted he would not cede territory.

While speaking in the rain, near a historical monument, Ivanovna said her appreciation to Trump for his peace-making efforts. She said that the nation should be ready ceding certain regions temporarily if it meant maintaining US support. "President Zelenskyy should hold a referendum and ask the people," she said.

EU Leaders Criticize the Plan

Previous European leaders have roundly condemned the plan. Finland’s former prime minister Marin described it as a catastrophe, not only for Ukraine and Ukrainians but for "all of the democratic world". She said if the west showed weakness and ignorance – similar to the 2014 Crimea annexation – further hostilities could arise.

The former prime minister of Belgium, Verhofstadt, quoted Churchill’s definition of an appeaser as someone who accommodates an aggressor. He added: "Trump now takes Putin’s side. Europe faces a choice between compromise and principles. A critical juncture for the European Union."