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Former President Trump indicated this past weekend that his Moscow-drafted proposal for peace constituted not his ultimate proposal, after fierce criticism from Ukraine's leaders and analysts that compared it to a 1938 Munich agreement involving Neville Chamberlain and Adolf Hitler.

In short remarks from the White House, Trump told reporters: Our goal is to achieve peace. It should’ve happened a long time ago … we’re trying to get it ended, one way or the other it must be resolved."

Upcoming Switzerland Negotiations Involve Various Countries

Ukrainian and American delegates are scheduled to meet in Geneva on Sunday for discussions on this proposal. Security officials from Germany, France, and the UK are expected to join these negotiations there.

Ahead of the talks, US senators told media outlets that State Department head Marco Rubio contacted them during his travel to Geneva to clarify the details of this disclosed proposal. He said, the proposal did not originate from the administration but instead reflected Russian desires, according to Senator Angus King, who serves on the Foreign Relations Committee.

Ukraine's President Confronts Crucial Deadline

However, Trump has given Zelenskyy a deadline of Thursday for signing this multi-point agreement. The document requires Ukraine to give up land it currently controls to Moscow, reduce the size of its army, and relinquish advanced weaponry. Additionally, it rules out international peacekeepers and sanctions for Russian war crimes.

During a solemn address on Friday, Zelenskyy warned that Ukraine faces an impossible choice in the near future between keeping the nation's honor and losing key ally like the United States. Zelenskyy acknowledged that Ukraine is experiencing an extremely challenging period historically.

Ukrainian Dialogue Delegation Formed for Geneva Talks

Speaking on Saturday, Zelenskyy emphasized that genuine or respectable peace was always based on assured safety and fairness. He announced a delegation, appointed by presidential decree, which will meet American representatives in Switzerland, headed by his chief of staff Yermak.

A additional delegate of the Ukrainian delegation, former defence minister and national security council secretary Rustem Umerov, said there would be consultations with Washington regarding potential terms for a peace deal.

Suggesting limits, Umerov added: 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 seemingly determined to end the conflict based on Russian conditions. He has emphasized he cannot give up Ukraine’s sovereignty or disregard a constitution that enshrines Ukraine's territorial integrity.

At a meeting in South Africa, G20 leaders and EU representatives released a joint statement pushing back on the proposed deal, stating it requires further refinement. The statement indicated that members of the EU and NATO would need to be consulted regarding certain clauses, which rule out Ukraine's NATO accession and impose terms on its future EU accession.

Citizen Opinion in Kyiv

Ukrainian reaction to the proposal, drawn up by Putin’s envoy and a US delegate, has been overwhelmingly hostile. Analysts argued it was a blueprint for another Russian invasion: targeting not just Ukraine but of other parts of Europe as well.

Nayyem, a public figure involved in the 2014 Maidan protests, said it invited parallels with the Munich Agreement. The proposal belonged to the same "recognisable genre", with the victim invited "to formulate his own defeat so everyone else can live easier".

On social media, Nayyem said 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 – sites of civilian executions – and for those whose children had been forcibly deported to Russia. A deeply cynical deal, he concluded.

In an interview in a Kyiv subway station, Sariskyi, 21, said that Russia has attempted to control Ukraine politically and territorially over many years. It conceded "barely anything" 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.

If Zelenskyy signed off on the proposals Kyiv would be forced to give up its freedoms, he added. If it didn’t, the US would most likely break off cooperation and intelligence sharing, a vital resource of military intelligence for Ukraine's forces. Currently, there is no favorable solution, he noted.

Diverse Viewpoints from the Public

A different commuter, 19-year-old Sofia Barchan, said that the country would "keep strong" without American support. "We will fight for as long as it takes. Crimea and the eastern regions are part of Ukraine. It belongs to Ukraine." She said that the president is intelligent and predicted he would not give up Ukrainian land.

While speaking in the rain, next to a replica of Kyiv’s original medieval gate, Ivanovna said she was grateful to Trump for his peace-making efforts. She suggested that the nation should be ready ceding Crimea and the eastern Donbas region temporarily if it meant maintaining US support. "President Zelenskyy should hold a referendum and ask the people," she said.

EU Leaders Criticize the Plan

Former European heads of state have strongly criticized the plan. Finland’s former prime minister Marin called it a catastrophe, not only for Ukraine and Ukrainians but for democracies worldwide. She warned if the west showed weakness and ignorance – similar to the 2014 Crimea annexation – "more aggression and conflicts" would follow.

The former prime minister of Belgium, Guy Verhofstadt, quoted Churchill’s definition of an appeaser as "one who feeds a crocodile, hoping it will eat him last". He added: "Trump now takes Putin’s side. Europe faces a choice between compromise and principles. A critical juncture for the European Union."