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Ex-leader Trump indicated on Saturday that the Moscow-drafted proposal for peace was "not my final offer", after strong criticism from Ukrainian officials and commentators that likened it to the Munich pact of 1938 involving Neville Chamberlain and Adolf Hitler.

During short comments at the White House, the US president informed journalists: "We’d like to get to peace. This should have occurred earlier … we’re trying to get it ended, one way or the other we have to get it ended."

Upcoming Geneva Negotiations Include Various Nations

Ukrainian and American officials will meet in Geneva this Sunday to discuss this proposal. Security officials from France, Britain and Germany will also participate in the talks there.

Prior to these discussions, American lawmakers informed the press that State Department head Marco Rubio contacted them during his travel to Geneva to clarify the details of the leaked plan. According to him, this plan "was not the administration’s plan" but instead a "wish list of the Russians", according to Senator Angus King, a member on the Foreign Relations Committee.

Zelenskyy Confronts Critical Time Limit

Nevertheless, the former president has given Zelenskyy until Thursday for signing the 28-point document. It calls on Ukraine to cede territory it currently controls to Moscow, downsize the size of its army, and surrender advanced weaponry. It also rules out a European peacekeeping force and penalties for atrocities committed by Russia.

In a sombre speech last Friday, Zelenskyy warned that Ukraine faces a difficult decision in the near future between keeping the nation's honor and losing a major partner in the shape of the US. Zelenskyy acknowledged that it faces an extremely challenging period historically.

Ukraine's Dialogue Team Formed for Geneva Talks

Speaking on Saturday, Zelenskyy said that real or respectable resolution was always based on assured safety and fairness. He revealed a negotiating team, appointed through a decree, which will meet American representatives in Geneva, led by top aide Yermak.

Another member of the Ukrainian delegation, ex-defense head and national security council secretary Umerov, said there would be discussions with the US regarding potential terms for a peace deal.

Hinting at red lines, he noted: "Ukraine approaches this process with a clear understanding of its interests. 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."

Global Reaction and Criticism

Zelenskyy has sought to participate positively with the US administration seemingly determined to end the conflict on the Kremlin’s one-sided terms. He has emphasized that he will not surrender the nation's independence or abandon the constitutional framework that protects the country’s current borders.

During a summit in South Africa, leaders from the G20 and EU representatives released a collective declaration pushing back on the proposed deal, stating it needs "additional work". It said that members of the EU and NATO must be involved regarding certain clauses, which rule out Kyiv’s Nato membership and impose terms on its European Union membership.

Citizen Opinion in Ukraine's Capital

Responses from Ukrainians to the proposal, prepared by a Russian representative and Trump’s representative, has been overwhelmingly hostile. Commentators said it outlined a plan for further Russian aggression: not only of Ukraine but other European regions as well.

Nayyem, a journalist and politician involved in Ukraine’s 2014 pro-democracy Maidan revolution, said it invited parallels with the Munich Agreement. Trumps’s peace plan came from the same "recognisable genre", with the victim invited to outline its own surrender for broader convenience.

On social media, he expressed his anger 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 rather cynical agreement," he concluded.

In an interview in a Kyiv subway station, Dmytro Sariskyi, a young adult, commented that Russia had been trying to dominate Ukraine over many years. The agreement offered very little in the proposed deal and maintained troops in Ukraine. "I think the deal is an attempt to break Ukraine and force unjust conditions on us," he remarked.

Should Ukraine accept the terms Kyiv would be forced to sacrifice its liberties, he said. If it didn’t, the US would most likely break off cooperation and intelligence sharing, a vital resource of battlefield information for Ukraine's forces. "There is no good way out of this for now," he noted.

Varied Viewpoints from Ukrainian Citizens

Another passenger, 19-year-old Sofia Barchan, said that Ukraine would remain resilient without American support. We will continue our struggle as needed. Crimea and the eastern regions are part of Ukraine. They are Ukrainian land." She said that the president is intelligent and forecasted he would not cede territory.

Speaking in the rain, near a historical monument, Ivanovna mentioned her appreciation to Trump for his attempts to broker peace. She said that Ukraine should be ready to give away Crimea and the eastern Donbas region temporarily if it meant maintaining US support. The president should conduct a public vote on this matter, she said.

EU Leaders Criticize the Plan

Former European heads of state have strongly criticized this proposal. Ex-PM of Finland Marin called it a disaster, affecting not just Ukraine but for democracies worldwide. She warned if the west showed weakness and ignorance – as it did in 2014 when Putin annexed Crimea – "more aggression and conflicts" could arise.

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