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Ex-leader Donald Trump remarked on Saturday that the Russian-prepared proposal for peace constituted "not my final offer", following strong backlash from Ukraine's officials and commentators who compared it to a Munich pact of 1938 between Neville Chamberlain and Adolf Hitler.

During short remarks 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, one way or the other we have to get it ended."

Forthcoming Switzerland Negotiations Involve Various Countries

Ukrainian and American officials are scheduled to meet in Geneva on Sunday for discussions on the plan. Security officials from Germany, France, and the UK are expected to join the talks there.

Prior to these discussions, US senators told media outlets that Secretary of State Rubio contacted them while en route to Geneva to clarify the details of this disclosed proposal. According to him, the proposal did not originate from the administration but instead a "wish list of the Russians", as reported by independent Maine senator King, a member on the Senate Foreign Relations Committee.

Ukraine's President Confronts Critical Time Limit

Nevertheless, Trump has given Zelenskyy until Thursday for signing the 28-point document. The document requires Ukraine to cede territory it currently controls to Russia, reduce the size of its army, and relinquish advanced weaponry. It also rules out international peacekeepers and penalties for Russian war crimes.

During a solemn address last Friday, the Ukrainian leader warned that Ukraine faces a difficult decision in the near future between keeping the nation's honor and forfeiting a major partner like the United States. Zelenskyy acknowledged that it faces an extremely challenging period in its history.

Ukraine's Dialogue Delegation Formed for Geneva Meetings

Speaking on Saturday, Zelenskyy said that genuine or respectable resolution was always based on "guaranteed security and justice". He revealed a negotiating team, established through a decree, that would soon meet its US counterparts in Geneva, led by his chief of staff Andriy Yermak.

A additional delegate from Ukraine's team, former defence minister and national security council secretary Rustem Umerov, said they will hold discussions with the US regarding potential terms for a peace deal.

Suggesting 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."

International Response and Criticism

Zelenskyy has sought to engage constructively with a White House apparently intent to end the conflict on the Kremlin’s one-sided terms. He has emphasized that he will not surrender the nation's independence or disregard the constitutional framework that protects the country’s current borders.

At a meeting in South Africa, leaders from the G20 and the European Council released a collective declaration opposing the proposed deal, stating it needs further refinement. It said that EU and Nato members would need to be consulted on some of its provisions, which rule out Kyiv’s Nato membership and impose terms on its European Union membership.

Public Views in Kyiv

Ukrainian reaction to the proposal, drawn up by a Russian representative and a US delegate, have been largely negative. Commentators argued it was a blueprint for further Russian aggression: targeting not just Ukraine but other European regions too.

Nayyem, a journalist and politician who led the 2014 Maidan protests, said it drew comparisons with Chamberlain’s infamous Munich deal. The proposal came from 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 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 families of deported children to Russian territory. "A rather cynical agreement," he stated.

In an interview in a Kyiv subway station, Sariskyi, 21, said that Moscow had been trying to dominate Ukraine over many years. It conceded "barely anything" in the proposed deal and continued to keep troops in Ukraine. In my view, this deal aims to undermine Ukraine and impose unfair terms, he said.

Should Ukraine accept the terms it would be compelled to give up its freedoms, he said. If rejected, the US might cease collaboration and intelligence exchange, a vital resource of military intelligence for frontline Ukrainian troops. Currently, there is no favorable solution, he remarked.

Diverse Perspectives from the Public

A different commuter, teenager Barchan, said that the country 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 Zelenskyy was a "smart person" and forecasted he would not give up Ukrainian land.

Speaking in the rain, next to a replica of Kyiv’s original medieval gate, Ivanovna said her appreciation to the former US leader for his attempts to broker peace. She said that the nation ought to consider ceding certain regions for a limited time if it ensured 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 strongly criticized the plan. Ex-PM of Finland Marin described it as a disaster, not only for Ukraine and Ukrainians but for "all of the democratic world". She warned if the west showed weakness and ignorance – similar to the 2014 Crimea annexation – further hostilities would follow.

Belgium's ex-PM, Verhofstadt, referenced a statement by Churchill 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. Another moment of truth for our [European] union."