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Ex-leader Trump remarked on Saturday that the Russian-prepared peace plan constituted not his ultimate proposal, after strong criticism from Ukraine's leaders and analysts who compared it to the Munich pact of 1938 between Neville Chamberlain and Hitler.

During short comments from the White House, the US president told reporters: Our goal is to achieve peace. It should’ve happened a long time ago … we’re trying to get it ended, in any case we have to get it ended."

Forthcoming Geneva Negotiations Involve Multiple Nations

Ukrainian and American officials are scheduled to meet in Switzerland on Sunday to discuss the plan. Defense representatives from Germany, France, and the UK will also participate in these negotiations in Geneva.

Ahead of the talks, American lawmakers informed media outlets that Secretary of State Rubio reached out to them while en route to Switzerland for clarification on the details of the leaked plan. He said, this plan "was not the administration’s plan" but instead a "wish list of the Russians", as reported by Senator King, who serves on the Senate Foreign Relations Committee.

Zelenskyy Confronts Crucial Deadline

Nevertheless, the former president has set Volodymyr Zelenskyy until Thursday to sign this multi-point agreement. The document requires Ukraine to cede territory it currently controls to Moscow, downsize the size of its army, and relinquish long-range weapons. It also excludes a European peacekeeping force and sanctions for atrocities committed by Russia.

During a solemn address last Friday, Zelenskyy cautioned that his country faces an impossible choice over the coming days between preserving the nation's honor and forfeiting a major partner like the United States. Zelenskyy acknowledged that Ukraine is experiencing one of the most difficult moments historically.

Ukraine's Negotiating Team Formed for Upcoming Meetings

Speaking on Saturday, Zelenskyy emphasized that genuine or "dignified" peace depends on "guaranteed security and justice". He revealed a delegation, appointed by presidential decree, that would soon meet American representatives in Switzerland, led by top aide Andriy Yermak.

A additional delegate from Ukraine's team, ex-defense head and security council official Rustem Umerov, said there would be discussions with Washington "on the possible parameters of a future peace agreement".

Suggesting limits, he added: "Ukraine approaches this process with a clear understanding of its interests. This represents a continuation of recent discussions focused on harmonizing our plans for future actions."

International Response and Criticism

The Ukrainian president has sought to engage constructively with a White House seemingly determined to end the conflict on the Kremlin’s one-sided terms. He has made clear he cannot give up the nation's independence or disregard a constitution that enshrines the country’s current borders.

At a meeting in South Africa, leaders from the G20 and the European Council issued a joint statement opposing the proposed deal, stating it needs further refinement. The statement indicated that EU and Nato members would need to be consulted 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 proposal, drawn up by a Russian representative and a US delegate, has been overwhelmingly hostile. Analysts said it was a blueprint for another Russian invasion: not only of Ukraine but other European regions too.

Mustafa Nayyem, a journalist and politician involved in the 2014 Maidan protests, said it drew comparisons with Chamberlain’s infamous Munich deal. The proposal came from a similar category, with the victim invited to outline its own surrender for broader convenience.

On social media, Nayyem said 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 for those whose children had been forcibly deported to Russian territory. "A rather cynical agreement," he stated.

In an interview in Kyiv’s Golden Gate metro station, Sariskyi, 21, said that Moscow has attempted to control Ukraine politically and territorially "for years". The agreement offered "barely anything" in the proposed deal and maintained troops in Ukraine. "I think the deal is an attempt to break Ukraine and force unjust conditions on us," he said.

Should Ukraine accept the terms it would be compelled to give up its freedoms, he said. If it didn’t, 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.

Diverse Viewpoints from Ukrainian Citizens

Another passenger, teenager Sofia Barchan, said 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. They are Ukrainian land." She expressed Zelenskyy was a "smart person" and predicted he would not give up Ukrainian land.

While speaking in the rain, next to a replica of Kyiv’s original medieval gate, Olena Ivanovna mentioned she was grateful 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 Criticize the Plan

Former European heads of state have roundly condemned the plan. Finland’s former prime minister Marin described it as 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.

The former prime minister of Belgium, 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 faces a choice between compromise and principles. Another moment of truth for our [European] union."