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Former President Donald Trump indicated this past weekend that the Russian-prepared peace plan was "not my final offer", following fierce criticism from Ukraine's officials and analysts that likened it to a Munich pact of 1938 between Neville Chamberlain and Hitler.

During short remarks at the White House, Trump told journalists: "We’d like to get to peace. It should’ve happened a long time ago … we’re trying to get it ended, in any case it must be resolved."

Upcoming Geneva Talks Involve Multiple Countries

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

Ahead of these discussions, US senators informed the press that Secretary of State Marco Rubio contacted them while en route to Geneva for clarification on the details of the leaked plan. According to him, this plan "was not the administration’s plan" but rather reflected Russian desires, according to independent Maine senator Angus King, a member on the Senate Foreign Relations Committee.

Ukraine's President Faces Critical Time Limit

Nevertheless, the former president has given Zelenskyy a deadline of Thursday for signing this multi-point agreement. It calls on Kyiv to give up land it currently controls to Moscow, reduce the size of its army, and surrender long-range weapons. It also rules out a European peacekeeping force and sanctions for Russian war crimes.

In a sombre speech last Friday, Zelenskyy cautioned that his country confronts a difficult decision over the coming days involving keeping the nation's honor and losing key ally in the shape of the US. Zelenskyy acknowledged that it faces one of the most difficult moments in its history.

Ukraine's Negotiating Delegation Formed for Upcoming Meetings

In comments this weekend, the president said that real or respectable peace depends on assured safety and fairness. He revealed a negotiating team, established by presidential decree, that would soon meet its US counterparts in Geneva, headed by his chief of staff Andriy Yermak.

Another member from Ukraine's team, former defence minister and national security council secretary Umerov, stated there would be consultations with the US 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 Response and Concerns

The Ukrainian president has attempted to participate positively with the US administration seemingly determined to resolve the war on the Kremlin’s one-sided terms. 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 in South Africa, G20 leaders and EU representatives released a collective declaration pushing back on Trump’s plan, saying it requires "additional work". It said that EU and Nato members must be involved on some of its provisions, that exclude Ukraine's NATO accession and put conditions on its future EU accession.

Citizen Views in Ukraine's Capital

Ukrainian reaction to the text, prepared by a Russian representative and a US delegate, have been largely negative. Analysts said it was a blueprint for another Russian invasion: not only of Ukraine but of other parts of Europe too.

Nayyem, a journalist and politician involved in the 2014 Maidan protests, remarked it drew comparisons with the Munich Agreement. The proposal belonged to a similar category, where the affected party is asked to outline its own surrender for broader convenience.

In a Facebook post, Nayyem expressed he was outraged by the complete pardon for Russian atrocities. This offended those who sought shelter in Bucha or Mariupol – sites of civilian executions – and families of deported children to Russia. A deeply cynical deal, he stated.

In an interview in a Kyiv subway station, Sariskyi, 21, commented that Russia had been trying to dominate Ukraine over many years. The agreement offered very little in the proposed deal and continued to keep its forces on Ukrainian soil. In my view, this deal aims to undermine Ukraine and impose unfair terms, he remarked.

Should Ukraine accept the terms it would be compelled to sacrifice its liberties, 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 remarked.

Varied Perspectives from Ukrainian Citizens

Another passenger, teenager Barchan, said that Ukraine would "keep strong" without American support. "We will fight for as long as it takes. Crimea and the eastern regions are part of Ukraine. They are Ukrainian land." She said that the president is intelligent and predicted he would not give up Ukrainian land.

Speaking in the rain, near a historical monument, Ivanovna said she was grateful to Trump for his attempts to broker peace. She suggested that the nation ought to consider ceding certain regions temporarily if it meant maintaining US support. The president should conduct a public vote on this matter, she said.

European Officials Criticize the Plan

Former European heads of state have strongly criticized this proposal. Ex-PM of Finland Marin described it as a disaster, affecting not just Ukraine but for "all of the democratic world". She warned if Western nations display vulnerability – similar to the 2014 Crimea annexation – "more aggression and conflicts" could arise.

Belgium's ex-PM, Verhofstadt, quoted a statement by Churchill 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. A critical juncture for the European Union."