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Ex-leader Donald Trump remarked on Saturday that his Russian-prepared proposal for peace constituted "not my final offer", after intense criticism from Ukraine's leaders and analysts who likened it to a 1938 Munich agreement between Neville Chamberlain and Hitler.

In short comments from the White House, Trump informed journalists: Our goal is to achieve peace. This should have occurred earlier … we are attempting to conclude it, one way or the other it must be resolved."

Forthcoming Geneva Negotiations Include Multiple Countries

Ukrainian and American officials are scheduled to meet in Switzerland this Sunday for discussions on the plan. Defense representatives from France, Britain and Germany are expected to join the talks there.

Prior to the talks, US senators told the press that Secretary of State Rubio contacted them during his travel to Geneva to clarify the details of the leaked plan. According to him, the proposal "was not the administration’s plan" but instead a "wish list of the Russians", according to independent Maine senator Angus King, who serves on the Senate Foreign Relations Committee.

Zelenskyy Faces Critical Time Limit

However, the former president has given Volodymyr Zelenskyy a deadline of Thursday to sign this multi-point agreement. It calls on Ukraine to cede land under its control to Russia, reduce its military forces, and surrender long-range weapons. It also rules out a European peacekeeping force and penalties for atrocities committed by Russia.

During a solemn speech last Friday, the Ukrainian leader warned that his country faces an impossible choice in the near future involving preserving the nation's honor and losing a major partner in the shape of the US. Zelenskyy acknowledged that Ukraine is experiencing an extremely challenging period historically.

Ukrainian Negotiating Team Appointed for Geneva Meetings

Speaking on Saturday, the president said that real or "dignified" resolution was always based on "guaranteed security and justice". He announced a negotiating team, appointed through a decree, that would soon meet American representatives in Switzerland, headed by his chief of staff Yermak.

A additional delegate of the Ukrainian delegation, ex-defense head and security council official Umerov, said there would be discussions with Washington regarding potential terms for a peace deal.

Hinting at limits, Umerov 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 Concerns

Zelenskyy has attempted to engage constructively with a White House apparently intent to resolve the war on the Kremlin’s one-sided terms. He has emphasized he cannot give up the nation's independence or disregard a constitution that protects the country’s current borders.

At a meeting in South Africa, G20 leaders and EU representatives issued a collective declaration pushing back on the proposed deal, saying it requires further refinement. It said that members of the EU and NATO must be involved regarding certain clauses, which rule out Ukraine's NATO accession and put conditions on its future EU accession.

Citizen Opinion in Kyiv

Responses from Ukrainians to the proposal, drawn up by Putin’s envoy and a US delegate, has been overwhelmingly hostile. Analysts said it was a blueprint for another Russian invasion: targeting not just Ukraine but other European regions too.

Nayyem, a journalist and politician who led Ukraine’s 2014 pro-democracy Maidan revolution, remarked it drew comparisons with Chamberlain’s infamous Munich deal. Trumps’s peace plan belonged to a similar category, where the affected party is asked "to formulate his own defeat so everyone else can live easier".

In a Facebook post, Nayyem expressed he was outraged by its "full" amnesty for Russian war crimes. It was an insult those who sought shelter in affected cities – where Russian troops executed hundreds of civilians – and for those whose children had been forcibly deported to Russia. "A rather cynical agreement," he stated.

In an interview in a Kyiv subway station, Sariskyi, 21, said that Moscow has attempted to control Ukraine politically and territorially "for years". The agreement offered very little in the Trump agreement and maintained troops in Ukraine. "I think the deal is an attempt to break Ukraine and force unjust conditions on us," he remarked.

If Zelenskyy signed off on the proposals it would be compelled to sacrifice its liberties, he said. If it didn’t, the US might cease collaboration and intelligence exchange, a vital resource of battlefield information for frontline Ukrainian troops. Currently, there is no favorable solution, he remarked.

Varied Perspectives from Ukrainian Citizens

Another passenger, 19-year-old Barchan, asserted that Ukraine would remain resilient without American support. We will continue our struggle as needed. Crimea and the eastern regions are part of Ukraine. It belongs to Ukraine." She expressed that the president is intelligent and forecasted he would not give up Ukrainian land.

While speaking during rainfall, next to a replica of Kyiv’s original medieval gate, Ivanovna said she was grateful to Trump for his attempts to broker peace. She said that Ukraine should be ready to give away certain regions for a limited time if it meant maintaining US support. "President Zelenskyy should hold a referendum and ask the people," she proposed.

EU Officials Condemn the Plan

Previous European leaders have strongly criticized the plan. Ex-PM of Finland Sanna Marin called it a disaster, affecting not just Ukraine but for democracies worldwide. She said if the west showed weakness and ignorance – similar to the 2014 Crimea annexation – "more aggression and conflicts" would follow.

The former prime minister of Belgium, Guy Verhofstadt, quoted Churchill’s definition 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. Another moment of truth for our [European] union."