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Ex-leader Donald Trump stated this past weekend that his Russian-prepared peace plan constituted not his ultimate proposal, following fierce backlash from Ukrainian officials and analysts who compared it to a Munich pact of 1938 involving Chamberlain and Hitler.

During short remarks from the White House, the US president 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."

Forthcoming Switzerland Negotiations Include Various Countries

US and Ukrainian officials are scheduled to meet in Switzerland this Sunday for discussions on this proposal. Defense representatives from France, Britain and Germany are expected to join the talks in Geneva.

Prior to the talks, American lawmakers informed media outlets that Secretary of State Marco Rubio contacted them during his travel to Geneva for clarification on the nature of this disclosed proposal. According to him, the proposal did not originate from the administration but instead a "wish list of the Russians", according to independent Maine senator Angus King, who serves on the Foreign Relations Committee.

Zelenskyy Faces Crucial Deadline

However, the former president has set Volodymyr Zelenskyy a deadline of Thursday for signing the 28-point document. It calls on Ukraine to cede territory under its control to Moscow, downsize its military forces, and surrender advanced weaponry. Additionally, it rules out international peacekeepers and sanctions for atrocities committed by Russia.

During a solemn address last Friday, the Ukrainian leader warned that his country faces an impossible choice in the near future involving keeping its national dignity and losing a major partner like the United States. He admitted that Ukraine is experiencing one of the most difficult moments in its history.

Ukraine's Negotiating Delegation Appointed for Upcoming Meetings

In comments on Saturday, the president said that real or "dignified" peace was always based on "guaranteed security and justice". He announced a negotiating team, established by presidential decree, that would soon meet its US counterparts in Switzerland, headed by his chief of staff Andriy Yermak.

A additional delegate from Ukraine's team, ex-defense head and national security council secretary Umerov, stated they will hold discussions with the US regarding potential terms for a peace deal.

Hinting at red lines, he added: Ukraine enters these talks with defined goals. This represents a continuation of recent discussions focused on harmonizing our plans for future actions."

International Reaction and Concerns

The Ukrainian president has sought to engage constructively with the US administration seemingly determined to resolve the war on the Kremlin’s one-sided terms. He has made clear he cannot give up Ukraine’s sovereignty or abandon the constitutional framework that protects Ukraine's territorial integrity.

At a meeting held in South Africa, leaders from the G20 and EU representatives issued a joint statement pushing back on Trump’s plan, stating it needs further refinement. It said that EU and Nato members would need to be consulted on some of its provisions, that exclude Kyiv’s Nato membership and put conditions on its European Union membership.

Citizen Opinion in Ukraine's Capital

Ukrainian reaction to the text, drawn up by Putin’s envoy and a US delegate, has been overwhelmingly hostile. Analysts argued 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 Ukraine’s 2014 pro-democracy Maidan revolution, said it invited parallels with Chamberlain’s infamous Munich deal. Trumps’s peace plan belonged to a similar category, with the victim invited "to formulate his own defeat so everyone else can live easier".

In a Facebook post, Nayyem said he was outraged 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 deeply cynical deal, he stated.

Speaking in Kyiv’s Golden Gate metro station, Sariskyi, 21, said that Moscow has attempted to control Ukraine politically and territorially over many years. The agreement offered "barely anything" in the proposed deal and continued to keep troops in Ukraine. "I think the deal is an attempt to break Ukraine and force unjust conditions on us," he said.

Should Ukraine accept the terms it would be compelled to sacrifice its liberties, he added. If it didn’t, the US would most likely break off cooperation and intelligence sharing, a vital resource of military intelligence for frontline Ukrainian troops. Currently, there is no favorable solution, he remarked.

Diverse Viewpoints from Ukrainian Citizens

Another passenger, teenager Barchan, asserted that the country would remain resilient without American support. "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 Zelenskyy was a "smart person" and predicted he would not give up Ukrainian land.

While speaking during rainfall, next to a replica of Kyiv’s original medieval gate, Olena Ivanovna said her appreciation to Trump for his peace-making efforts. She said that Ukraine ought to consider to give away Crimea and the eastern Donbas region temporarily if it meant keeping America as a partner. The president should conduct a public vote on this matter, she said.

EU Officials Condemn the Plan

Former European heads of state have roundly condemned the plan. Finland’s former prime minister Marin described it as a catastrophe, 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.

The former prime minister of Belgium, Guy Verhofstadt, quoted a statement by Churchill regarding appeasement as someone who accommodates an aggressor. He continued: "Trump now takes Putin’s side. Europe faces a choice between compromise and principles. Another moment of truth for our [European] union."