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Ex-leader Trump indicated this past weekend that his Moscow-drafted peace plan constituted "not my final offer", after intense criticism from Ukrainian officials and commentators that compared it to the 1938 Munich agreement between Chamberlain and Adolf Hitler.

During brief remarks from the White House, the US president informed reporters: Our goal is to achieve peace. This should have occurred earlier … we are attempting to conclude it, one way or the other we have to get it ended."

Forthcoming Switzerland Talks Include Multiple Countries

US and Ukrainian delegates are scheduled to meet in Geneva on Sunday to discuss this proposal. Security officials from France, Britain and Germany are expected to join these negotiations there.

Prior to these discussions, US senators told media outlets that Secretary of State Marco Rubio reached out to them during his travel to Switzerland to clarify the details of the leaked plan. He said, the proposal did not originate from the administration but rather reflected Russian desires, according to independent Maine senator Angus King, who serves on the Senate Foreign Relations Committee.

Ukraine's President Faces Critical Time Limit

Nevertheless, Trump has given Volodymyr Zelenskyy a deadline of Thursday to sign the 28-point document. The document requires Kyiv to cede land it currently controls to Russia, downsize its military forces, and relinquish advanced weaponry. Additionally, it excludes international peacekeepers and penalties for atrocities committed by Russia.

In a sombre address last Friday, the Ukrainian leader cautioned that his country faces a difficult decision in the near future involving keeping the nation's honor and forfeiting key ally like the United States. He admitted that Ukraine is experiencing one of the most difficult moments historically.

Ukrainian Dialogue Team Formed for Upcoming Meetings

In comments on Saturday, Zelenskyy said that genuine or respectable peace depends on assured safety and fairness. He revealed a delegation, established by presidential decree, which will meet American representatives in Switzerland, led by top aide Andriy Yermak.

Another member of the Ukrainian delegation, ex-defense head and security council official Rustem Umerov, stated they will hold discussions with the US regarding potential terms for a peace deal.

Suggesting 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 Response and Criticism

Zelenskyy has sought to participate positively with a White House apparently intent to resolve the war on the Kremlin’s one-sided terms. He has made clear he cannot give up the nation's independence or abandon the constitutional framework that enshrines Ukraine's territorial integrity.

At a meeting in South Africa, G20 leaders and the European Council released a collective declaration opposing Trump’s plan, stating it needs "additional work". The statement indicated that EU and Nato members must be involved on some of its provisions, which rule out Kyiv’s Nato membership and put conditions on its European Union membership.

Public Opinion in Ukraine's Capital

Ukrainian reaction to the text, drawn up by a Russian representative and a US delegate, has been overwhelmingly hostile. Commentators said it was a blueprint for further Russian aggression: not only of Ukraine but of other parts of Europe too.

Nayyem, a journalist and politician involved in Ukraine’s 2014 pro-democracy Maidan revolution, said it drew comparisons with the Munich Agreement. Trumps’s peace plan came from the same "recognisable genre", where the affected party is asked "to formulate his own defeat so everyone else can live easier".

In a Facebook post, Nayyem said he was outraged by the complete pardon for Russian atrocities. It was an insult people who had hidden in basements in affected cities – sites of civilian executions – 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 dominate Ukraine "for years". It conceded very little 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.

If Zelenskyy signed off on the proposals Kyiv would be forced to sacrifice its liberties, 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.

Varied Perspectives from Ukrainian Citizens

A different commuter, 19-year-old Barchan, said that the country would remain resilient 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 Zelenskyy was a "smart person" and predicted he would not cede territory.

Speaking during rainfall, near a historical monument, Ivanovna mentioned she was grateful to Trump for his attempts to broker peace. She said that the nation should be ready to give away Crimea and the eastern Donbas region temporarily if it ensured keeping America as a partner. "President Zelenskyy should hold a referendum and ask the people," she proposed.

EU Officials Criticize the Proposal

Former European heads of state have strongly criticized this proposal. Ex-PM of Finland Marin described it as a disaster, not only for Ukraine and Ukrainians but for "all of the democratic world". She said 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 someone who accommodates an aggressor. He continued: "Trump now takes Putin’s side. Europe faces a choice between compromise and principles. A critical juncture for the European Union."