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Ex-leader Trump remarked on Saturday that the Moscow-drafted proposal for peace was "not my final offer", following strong backlash from Ukrainian officials and analysts who likened it to the Munich pact of 1938 involving Chamberlain and Adolf Hitler.

In brief remarks from the White House, the US president informed journalists: "We’d like to get to peace. It should’ve happened a long time ago … we are attempting to conclude it, one way or the other we have to get it ended."

Upcoming Geneva Talks Include Multiple Nations

US and Ukrainian officials are scheduled to meet in Geneva on Sunday to discuss the plan. Security officials from Germany, France, and the UK will also participate in the talks there.

Ahead of these discussions, American lawmakers told media outlets that Secretary of State Rubio reached out to them while en route to Switzerland for clarification on the details of the leaked plan. He said, the proposal did not originate from the administration but rather a "wish list of the Russians", as reported by Senator King, a member on the Foreign Relations Committee.

Zelenskyy Faces Crucial Time Limit

However, the former president has given Volodymyr Zelenskyy until Thursday for signing this multi-point agreement. The document requires Kyiv to give up land under its control to Moscow, reduce the size of its army, and relinquish advanced weaponry. It also rules out a European peacekeeping force and sanctions for atrocities committed by Russia.

In a sombre speech on Friday, Zelenskyy warned that Ukraine confronts an impossible choice over the coming days involving preserving its national dignity and forfeiting key ally in the shape of the US. Zelenskyy acknowledged that it faces an extremely challenging period in its history.

Ukrainian Negotiating Delegation Appointed for Geneva Talks

Speaking on Saturday, Zelenskyy emphasized that genuine or "dignified" resolution depends on assured safety and fairness. He revealed a negotiating team, appointed by presidential decree, that would soon meet American representatives in Switzerland, led by his chief of staff Andriy Yermak.

A additional delegate of the Ukrainian delegation, ex-defense head and national security council secretary Umerov, said there would be consultations with Washington regarding potential terms for a peace deal.

Suggesting 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 Response and Concerns

The Ukrainian president has attempted to participate positively with the US administration apparently intent to end the conflict based on Russian conditions. He has made clear he cannot give up the nation's independence or abandon a constitution that enshrines Ukraine's territorial integrity.

At a meeting in South Africa, G20 leaders and the European Council issued a collective declaration pushing back on the proposed deal, stating it requires "additional work". The statement indicated that members of the EU and NATO must be involved regarding certain clauses, which rule out Kyiv’s Nato membership and put conditions on its future EU accession.

Citizen Opinion in Kyiv

Responses from Ukrainians to the proposal, prepared by a Russian representative and Trump’s representative, has been overwhelmingly hostile. Commentators argued it outlined a plan for another Russian invasion: not only of Ukraine but of other parts of Europe too.

Mustafa Nayyem, a public figure who led the 2014 Maidan protests, remarked it drew comparisons with the Munich Agreement. The proposal belonged to the same "recognisable genre", with the victim invited to outline its own surrender for broader convenience.

On social media, he expressed his anger by the complete pardon for Russian atrocities. This offended 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 concluded.

In an interview in a Kyiv subway station, Sariskyi, 21, commented that Russia has attempted to control Ukraine politically and territorially "for years". The agreement offered very little in the Trump agreement 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.

If Zelenskyy signed off on the proposals it would be compelled to sacrifice its liberties, he added. If rejected, the US would most likely break off cooperation and intelligence sharing, a vital resource of battlefield information for Ukraine's forces. Currently, there is no favorable solution, he noted.

Diverse Viewpoints from Ukrainian Citizens

A different commuter, teenager Sofia Barchan, said that Ukraine would remain resilient lacking US backing. We will continue our struggle as needed. Our territory will remain our territory, including Crimea and the east. It belongs to Ukraine." She said that the president is intelligent and forecasted he would not cede territory.

While speaking in the rain, near a historical monument, Ivanovna said she was grateful to the former US leader for his attempts to broker peace. She suggested that the nation ought to consider to give away 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 proposed.

European Leaders Condemn the Proposal

Former European heads of state have strongly criticized this proposal. Ex-PM of Finland Marin called it a catastrophe, not only for Ukraine and Ukrainians but for democracies worldwide. She warned if Western nations display vulnerability – as it did in 2014 when Putin annexed Crimea – further hostilities 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."