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Ex-leader Donald Trump remarked this past weekend that his Moscow-drafted peace plan constituted "not my final offer", after strong reaction from Ukraine's officials and analysts that likened it to a Munich pact of 1938 involving Chamberlain and Hitler.

During brief remarks from the White House, the US president told reporters: "We’d like to get to peace. It should’ve happened a long time ago … we’re trying to get it ended, one way or the other we have to get it ended."

Forthcoming Geneva Talks Include Various Nations

Ukrainian and American delegates are scheduled to meet in Switzerland this Sunday to discuss this proposal. Defense representatives from France, Britain and Germany will also participate in these negotiations in Geneva.

Prior to these discussions, American lawmakers told media outlets that State Department head Marco Rubio contacted them during his travel to Switzerland to clarify the details of the leaked plan. According to him, the proposal did not originate from the administration but rather a "wish list of the Russians", as reported by independent Maine senator King, a member on the Senate Foreign Relations Committee.

Ukraine's President Faces Critical Deadline

Nevertheless, the former president has given Zelenskyy until Thursday for signing this multi-point agreement. The document requires Kyiv to cede land it currently controls to Russia, reduce its military forces, and surrender advanced weaponry. Additionally, it rules out a European peacekeeping force and penalties for Russian war crimes.

During a solemn speech last Friday, the Ukrainian leader cautioned that Ukraine confronts an impossible choice over the coming days between preserving its national dignity and losing a major partner in the shape of the US. He admitted that it faces one of the most difficult moments in its history.

Ukraine's Dialogue Delegation Formed for Upcoming Talks

Speaking on Saturday, Zelenskyy said that genuine or "dignified" peace depends on "guaranteed security and justice". He revealed a delegation, established by presidential decree, that would soon meet its US counterparts in Geneva, led by top aide Andriy Yermak.

Another member of the Ukrainian delegation, former defence minister and security council official Umerov, said they will hold consultations with the US "on the possible parameters of a future peace agreement".

Suggesting limits, he 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 Criticism

The Ukrainian president has sought to engage constructively with the US administration apparently intent to resolve the war on the Kremlin’s one-sided terms. He has emphasized that he will not surrender the nation's independence or disregard 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 "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 Ukraine's NATO accession and put conditions on its future EU accession.

Citizen Opinion in Ukraine's Capital

Responses from Ukrainians to the proposal, drawn up by a Russian representative and a US delegate, has been overwhelmingly hostile. Commentators argued it was a blueprint for another Russian invasion: not only of Ukraine but other European regions too.

Nayyem, a journalist and politician who led Ukraine’s 2014 pro-democracy Maidan revolution, remarked it invited parallels with the Munich Agreement. The proposal came from the same "recognisable genre", with the victim invited to outline its own surrender for broader convenience.

On social media, Nayyem said his anger 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 for those whose children had been forcibly deported to Russian territory. "A rather cynical agreement," he concluded.

Speaking in a Kyiv subway station, Sariskyi, a young adult, said that Russia had been trying to dominate Ukraine over many years. It conceded "barely anything" in the Trump agreement and maintained 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 give up its freedoms, he added. If rejected, 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 Perspectives from Ukrainian Citizens

A different commuter, teenager Barchan, said 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 her appreciation to the former US leader for his peace-making efforts. She said that Ukraine ought to consider ceding Crimea and the eastern Donbas region for a limited time if it meant keeping America as a partner. "President Zelenskyy should hold a referendum and ask the people," she said.

EU Officials Condemn the Proposal

Previous European leaders have strongly criticized the plan. Finland’s former prime minister Sanna Marin described it as a catastrophe, affecting not just Ukraine but for democracies worldwide. She warned if Western nations display vulnerability – as it did in 2014 when Putin annexed Crimea – further hostilities would follow.

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