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Ex-leader Trump remarked this past weekend that the Russian-prepared proposal for peace constituted "not my final offer", following strong backlash from Ukraine's leaders and commentators that likened it to a Munich pact of 1938 involving Chamberlain and Hitler.

In short remarks at the White House, Trump told journalists: "We’d like to get to peace. This should have occurred earlier … we are attempting to conclude it, one way or the other we have to get it ended."

Upcoming Switzerland Negotiations Include Various Nations

Ukrainian and American officials are scheduled to meet in Switzerland on Sunday to discuss the plan. Security officials from Germany, France, and the UK will also participate in these negotiations in Geneva.

Prior to these discussions, American lawmakers informed media outlets that State Department head Marco Rubio contacted them during his travel to Switzerland to clarify the nature of the leaked plan. According to him, this plan did not originate from the administration but rather a "wish list of the Russians", as reported by Senator King, who serves on the Senate Foreign Relations Committee.

Ukraine's President Faces Crucial Deadline

Nevertheless, the former president has set Volodymyr Zelenskyy a deadline of Thursday for signing this multi-point agreement. The document requires Kyiv to give up territory it currently controls to Moscow, downsize the size of its army, and relinquish advanced weaponry. It also rules out a European peacekeeping force and penalties for Russian war crimes.

In a sombre speech on Friday, the Ukrainian leader cautioned that his country confronts a difficult decision over the coming days involving preserving the nation's honor and losing a major partner in the shape of the US. He admitted that it faces one of the most difficult moments historically.

Ukrainian Negotiating Team Appointed for Geneva Meetings

Speaking on Saturday, Zelenskyy emphasized that real or "dignified" peace was always based on "guaranteed security and justice". He revealed a negotiating team, appointed by presidential decree, which will meet its US counterparts in Switzerland, led by his chief of staff Yermak.

A additional delegate from Ukraine's team, ex-defense head and national security council secretary Umerov, said there would be consultations with Washington regarding potential terms for a peace deal.

Hinting at 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 Concerns

Zelenskyy has attempted to engage constructively with a White House apparently intent to resolve the war on the Kremlin’s one-sided terms. He has emphasized he cannot give up the nation's independence or disregard the constitutional framework that enshrines the country’s current borders.

At a meeting held in South Africa, leaders from the G20 and EU representatives issued a collective declaration opposing Trump’s plan, saying it requires further refinement. It said that members of the EU and NATO must be involved on some of its provisions, which rule out Ukraine's NATO accession and put conditions on its European Union membership.

Citizen Opinion in Ukraine's Capital

Ukrainian reaction to the proposal, drawn up by a Russian representative and a US delegate, has been overwhelmingly hostile. Commentators said it was a blueprint for further Russian aggression: targeting not just Ukraine but of other parts of Europe too.

Nayyem, a public figure who led the 2014 Maidan protests, remarked it invited parallels with the Munich Agreement. The proposal came from the same "recognisable genre", where the affected party is asked "to formulate his own defeat so everyone else can live easier".

On social media, he expressed he was outraged by its "full" amnesty for Russian war crimes. It was an insult people who had hidden in basements in Bucha or Mariupol – where Russian troops executed hundreds of civilians – and families of deported children to Russia. "A rather cynical agreement," he stated.

Speaking in a Kyiv subway station, Sariskyi, 21, said that Moscow has attempted to dominate Ukraine "for years". It conceded very little in the proposed deal and continued to keep its forces on Ukrainian soil. "I think the deal is an attempt to break Ukraine and force unjust conditions on us," he remarked.

Should Ukraine accept the terms it would be compelled to sacrifice its liberties, he said. If it didn’t, the US might cease collaboration and intelligence exchange, a vital resource of battlefield information for Ukraine's forces. "There is no good way out of this for now," he noted.

Diverse Viewpoints from Ukrainian Citizens

A different commuter, 19-year-old Barchan, asserted that the country would "keep strong" lacking US backing. "We will fight for as long as it takes. Our territory will remain our territory, including Crimea and the east. They are Ukrainian land." She expressed that the president is intelligent and forecasted he would not cede territory.

Speaking during rainfall, near a historical monument, Ivanovna mentioned her appreciation to the former US leader for his peace-making efforts. She said that the nation ought to consider to give away certain regions for a limited time if it ensured maintaining US support. The president should conduct a public vote on this matter, she proposed.

EU Leaders Condemn the Plan

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

Belgium's ex-PM, Guy Verhofstadt, referenced a statement by Churchill of an appeaser as someone who accommodates an aggressor. He continued: Trump aligns with Putin. Europe faces a choice between compromise and principles. A critical juncture for the European Union."