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Ex-leader Trump remarked this past weekend that the Moscow-drafted peace plan was "not my final offer", after intense reaction from Ukrainian leaders and commentators who likened it to the 1938 Munich agreement involving Chamberlain and Hitler.

During brief comments at the White House, the US president told journalists: Our goal is to achieve peace. It should’ve happened a long time ago … we are attempting to conclude it, in any case it must be resolved."

Upcoming Switzerland Negotiations Include Multiple Nations

Ukrainian and American delegates will meet in Geneva on Sunday to discuss the plan. Defense representatives from France, Britain and Germany are expected to join these negotiations in Geneva.

Prior to the talks, American lawmakers told media outlets that Secretary of State Rubio contacted them during his travel to Geneva for clarification on the details of the leaked plan. He said, this plan did not originate from the administration but rather reflected Russian desires, according to Senator Angus King, a member on the Foreign Relations Committee.

Zelenskyy Confronts Crucial Time Limit

However, Trump has set Volodymyr Zelenskyy a deadline of Thursday to sign this multi-point agreement. The document requires Ukraine to cede territory under its control to Russia, reduce its military forces, and relinquish long-range weapons. Additionally, it rules out international peacekeepers and penalties for Russian war crimes.

In a sombre address last Friday, the Ukrainian leader cautioned that Ukraine faces a difficult decision in the near future involving preserving the nation's honor and forfeiting a major partner in the shape of the US. He admitted that it faces one of the most difficult moments in its history.

Ukraine's Dialogue Team Appointed for Geneva Talks

Speaking on Saturday, the president said that genuine or respectable peace depends on "guaranteed security and justice". He revealed a delegation, appointed by presidential decree, that would soon meet its US counterparts in Switzerland, headed by his chief of staff Andriy Yermak.

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

Hinting at limits, Umerov 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."

Global Reaction and Concerns

The Ukrainian president has sought to engage constructively with the US administration seemingly determined to end the conflict on the Kremlin’s one-sided terms. He has emphasized he cannot give up the nation's independence or abandon the constitutional framework that protects the country’s current borders.

During a summit held in South Africa, G20 leaders and EU representatives released a collective declaration opposing Trump’s plan, stating it requires further refinement. It said that members of the EU and NATO would need to be consulted regarding certain clauses, which rule out Kyiv’s Nato membership and impose terms on its European Union membership.

Public Views in Kyiv

Responses from Ukrainians to the text, drawn up by Putin’s envoy and Trump’s representative, have been largely negative. Commentators argued it outlined a plan for further Russian aggression: not only of Ukraine but other European regions too.

Mustafa Nayyem, a public figure who led the 2014 Maidan protests, said it invited parallels with Chamberlain’s infamous Munich deal. The proposal belonged to a similar category, with the victim invited to outline its own surrender for broader convenience.

On social media, Nayyem expressed he was outraged by the complete pardon for Russian atrocities. It was an insult those who sought shelter in Bucha or Mariupol – where Russian troops executed hundreds of civilians – and families of deported children to Russian territory. "A rather cynical agreement," he concluded.

Speaking in a Kyiv subway station, Sariskyi, 21, said that Moscow had been trying to control Ukraine politically and territorially over many years. The agreement offered "barely anything" in the proposed deal and maintained its forces on Ukrainian soil. In my view, this deal aims to undermine Ukraine and impose unfair terms, he said.

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 Perspectives from the Public

A different commuter, teenager Sofia Barchan, asserted that Ukraine would "keep strong" 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 expressed that the president is intelligent and forecasted he would not give up Ukrainian land.

Speaking in the rain, near a historical monument, Ivanovna said she was grateful to the former US leader for his peace-making efforts. She suggested that the nation ought to consider ceding Crimea and the eastern Donbas region for a limited time if it meant maintaining US support. "President Zelenskyy should hold a referendum and ask the people," she said.

European Leaders Condemn the Plan

Previous European leaders have roundly condemned the plan. Finland’s former prime minister Sanna 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 – further hostilities would follow.

Belgium's ex-PM, Guy 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 must choose again: appeasement or our values, imperialism or freedom. A critical juncture for the European Union."