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Ex-leader Trump indicated this past weekend that the Moscow-drafted peace plan was "not my final offer", following fierce backlash from Ukraine's leaders and analysts who compared it to a 1938 Munich agreement between Neville Chamberlain and Adolf Hitler.

During short comments at the White House, Trump told journalists: "We’d like to get to 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 Negotiations Include Various Countries

US and Ukrainian delegates are scheduled to meet in Switzerland on Sunday to discuss the plan. Defense representatives from Germany, France, and the UK are expected to join the talks in Geneva.

Prior to these discussions, American lawmakers told media outlets that State Department head Marco Rubio contacted them during his travel to Switzerland for clarification on the details of the leaked plan. According to him, the proposal "was not the administration’s plan" but rather a "wish list of the Russians", according to Senator Angus King, who serves on the Foreign Relations Committee.

Zelenskyy Confronts Crucial Deadline

However, Trump has given Zelenskyy until Thursday to sign this multi-point agreement. The document requires Ukraine to cede land it currently controls to Russia, downsize the size of its army, and surrender long-range weapons. It also rules out international peacekeepers and penalties for atrocities committed by Russia.

During a solemn speech on Friday, Zelenskyy warned that his country faces a difficult decision in the near future between keeping its national dignity and losing key ally like the United States. He admitted that it faces one of the most difficult moments in its history.

Ukrainian Negotiating Team Formed for Upcoming Meetings

Speaking on Saturday, Zelenskyy said that real or "dignified" peace was always based on assured safety and fairness. He announced a delegation, established through a decree, which will meet American representatives in Geneva, led by top aide Andriy Yermak.

Another member from Ukraine's team, ex-defense head and security council official Umerov, stated there would be discussions with the US "on the possible parameters of a future peace agreement".

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 Response and Criticism

The Ukrainian president has sought to participate positively with the US administration apparently intent to end the conflict on the Kremlin’s one-sided terms. He has emphasized he cannot give up the nation's independence or disregard the constitutional framework that enshrines Ukraine's territorial integrity.

At a meeting in South Africa, leaders from the G20 and EU representatives issued a joint statement opposing the proposed deal, stating it requires further refinement. It said that members of the EU and NATO 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.

Citizen Opinion in Kyiv

Ukrainian reaction to the proposal, drawn up by Putin’s envoy and a US delegate, have been largely negative. Commentators argued it outlined a plan for another Russian invasion: targeting not just Ukraine but other European regions as well.

Nayyem, a journalist and politician who led the 2014 Maidan protests, remarked it drew comparisons with Chamberlain’s infamous Munich deal. The proposal came from the same "recognisable genre", where the affected party is asked "to formulate his own defeat so everyone else can live easier".

On social media, Nayyem expressed his anger by its "full" amnesty for Russian war crimes. This offended those who sought shelter in Bucha or Mariupol – where Russian troops executed hundreds of civilians – and for those whose children had been forcibly deported to Russian territory. "A rather cynical agreement," he stated.

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

Should Ukraine accept the terms it would be compelled to give up its freedoms, he said. If rejected, the US would most likely break off cooperation and intelligence sharing, a crucial source of military intelligence for frontline Ukrainian troops. "There is no good way out of this for now," he remarked.

Varied Perspectives from Ukrainian Citizens

Another passenger, teenager Barchan, said that the country would "keep strong" lacking US backing. "We will fight for as long as it takes. Crimea and the eastern regions are part of Ukraine. They are Ukrainian land." She expressed that the president is intelligent and predicted he would not cede territory.

While speaking in the rain, next to a replica of Kyiv’s original medieval gate, Olena Ivanovna said she was grateful to the former US leader for his peace-making efforts. She said that the nation ought to consider to give away Crimea and the eastern Donbas region for a limited time if it ensured maintaining US support. "President Zelenskyy should hold a referendum and ask the people," she proposed.

European Leaders Condemn the Proposal

Former European heads of state have roundly condemned this proposal. Finland’s former prime minister Sanna Marin described it as a disaster, affecting not just Ukraine but for democracies worldwide. She warned if Western nations display vulnerability – as it did in 2014 when Putin annexed Crimea – further hostilities could arise.

Belgium's ex-PM, Verhofstadt, referenced a statement by Churchill of an appeaser as someone who accommodates an aggressor. He added: Trump aligns with Putin. Europe must choose again: appeasement or our values, imperialism or freedom. Another moment of truth for our [European] union."