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Ex-leader Donald Trump stated this past weekend that the Moscow-drafted peace plan was "not my final offer", after intense backlash from Ukraine's leaders and commentators who likened it to the 1938 Munich agreement between Neville Chamberlain and Adolf Hitler.

In brief comments at the White House, Trump informed reporters: Our goal is to achieve peace. It should’ve happened a long time ago … we are attempting to conclude it, in any case we have to get it ended."

Upcoming Switzerland Talks Include Various Nations

Ukrainian and American delegates will meet in Geneva on Sunday for discussions on the plan. Security officials from Germany, France, and the UK will also participate in these negotiations in Geneva.

Prior to the talks, US senators informed media outlets that Secretary of State Rubio contacted them during his travel to Switzerland to clarify the nature of the leaked plan. According to him, this plan did not originate from the administration but rather a "wish list of the Russians", according to Senator Angus King, a member on the Foreign Relations Committee.

Zelenskyy Confronts Crucial Deadline

Nevertheless, Trump has set Volodymyr Zelenskyy until Thursday to sign this multi-point agreement. It calls on Ukraine to give up land it currently controls to Russia, reduce the size of its army, and relinquish long-range weapons. It also rules out international peacekeepers and penalties for Russian war crimes.

During a solemn speech last Friday, the Ukrainian leader warned that Ukraine confronts an impossible choice in the near future involving keeping its national dignity and forfeiting a major partner in the shape of the US. Zelenskyy acknowledged that Ukraine is experiencing an extremely challenging period historically.

Ukrainian Dialogue Team Appointed for Upcoming Meetings

Speaking on Saturday, Zelenskyy emphasized that genuine or "dignified" resolution was always based on assured safety and fairness. He announced a delegation, appointed through a decree, which will meet its US counterparts in Geneva, headed by his chief of staff Yermak.

Another member of the Ukrainian delegation, ex-defense head and national security council secretary Umerov, said they will hold consultations with the US "on the possible parameters of a future peace agreement".

Hinting at red lines, he added: 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."

International Reaction and Criticism

The Ukrainian president has attempted to engage constructively with a White House seemingly determined to end the conflict on the Kremlin’s one-sided terms. He has emphasized that he will not surrender Ukraine’s sovereignty or disregard a constitution that enshrines Ukraine's territorial integrity.

At a meeting held in South Africa, leaders from the G20 and the European Council issued a collective declaration opposing the proposed deal, stating it needs further refinement. It said that EU and Nato members would need to be consulted regarding certain clauses, that exclude Kyiv’s Nato membership and impose terms on its future EU accession.

Public Views in Ukraine's Capital

Responses from Ukrainians to the proposal, prepared by a Russian representative and Trump’s representative, have been largely negative. Analysts argued it was a blueprint for further Russian aggression: targeting not just Ukraine but of other parts of Europe too.

Mustafa Nayyem, a journalist and politician who led the 2014 Maidan protests, said it drew comparisons with Chamberlain’s infamous Munich deal. Trumps’s peace plan came from a similar category, with the victim invited "to formulate his own defeat so everyone else can live easier".

On social media, Nayyem expressed he was outraged by its "full" amnesty for Russian war crimes. It was an insult those who sought shelter in Bucha or Mariupol – sites of civilian executions – and families of deported children to Russia. "A rather cynical agreement," he stated.

Speaking in Kyiv’s Golden Gate metro station, Sariskyi, a young adult, commented that Russia had been trying to control Ukraine politically and territorially "for years". The agreement offered "barely anything" in the proposed deal 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 said.

Should Ukraine accept the terms Kyiv would be forced to sacrifice its liberties, he added. If rejected, the US might cease collaboration and intelligence exchange, a crucial source of military intelligence for frontline Ukrainian troops. Currently, there is no favorable solution, he noted.

Varied Viewpoints from Ukrainian Citizens

Another passenger, teenager Barchan, asserted that Ukraine 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 expressed that the president is intelligent and predicted he would not cede territory.

While speaking in the rain, near a historical monument, Olena Ivanovna said her appreciation to Trump for his attempts to broker peace. She said that the nation ought to consider ceding Crimea and the eastern Donbas region for a limited time if it meant maintaining US support. The president should conduct a public vote on this matter, she proposed.

European Leaders Condemn the Plan

Previous European leaders have roundly condemned this proposal. Ex-PM of Finland Marin called it a disaster, affecting not just Ukraine but for "all of the democratic world". She warned if Western nations display vulnerability – similar to the 2014 Crimea annexation – "more aggression and conflicts" would follow.

Belgium's ex-PM, Verhofstadt, referenced Churchill’s definition regarding appeasement as "one who feeds a crocodile, hoping it will eat him last". He continued: "Trump now takes Putin’s side. Europe must choose again: appeasement or our values, imperialism or freedom. Another moment of truth for our [European] union."