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Ex-leader Donald Trump indicated this past weekend that his Russian-prepared proposal for peace constituted not his ultimate proposal, after strong reaction from Ukraine's leaders and analysts who compared it to a Munich pact of 1938 involving Neville Chamberlain and Adolf Hitler.

In brief remarks from the White House, the US president told reporters: "We’d like to get to peace. This should have occurred earlier … we’re trying to get it ended, one way or the other we have to get it ended."

Upcoming Geneva Negotiations Include Multiple Nations

Ukrainian and American officials will meet in Geneva this Sunday to discuss the plan. Defense representatives from France, Britain and Germany will also participate in these negotiations in Geneva.

Prior to the talks, US senators told the press that State Department head Rubio contacted them during his travel to Switzerland to clarify the details of the leaked plan. He said, the proposal "was not the administration’s plan" but rather a "wish list of the Russians", as reported by independent Maine senator King, a member on the Foreign Relations Committee.

Ukraine's President Confronts Critical Time Limit

However, the former president has set Volodymyr Zelenskyy until Thursday to sign the 28-point document. It calls on Ukraine to give up land it currently controls to Moscow, downsize its military forces, and relinquish long-range weapons. Additionally, it excludes a European peacekeeping force and sanctions for atrocities committed by Russia.

In a sombre address last Friday, Zelenskyy cautioned that Ukraine faces a difficult decision over the coming days between keeping the nation's honor and forfeiting key ally like the United States. Zelenskyy acknowledged that Ukraine is experiencing an extremely challenging period historically.

Ukrainian Negotiating Team Formed for Upcoming Meetings

In comments on Saturday, Zelenskyy said that real or "dignified" peace was always based on assured safety and fairness. He revealed a delegation, appointed through a decree, that would soon meet its US counterparts in Switzerland, headed by his chief of staff Yermak.

A additional delegate of the Ukrainian delegation, former defence minister and national security council secretary Umerov, stated they will hold discussions with Washington regarding potential terms for a peace deal.

Hinting at 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."

Global Response and Concerns

The Ukrainian president has sought to engage constructively with the US administration seemingly determined to resolve the war on the Kremlin’s one-sided terms. He has made clear he cannot give up the nation's independence or disregard the constitutional framework that enshrines the country’s current borders.

During a summit held in South Africa, leaders from the G20 and the European Council released a joint statement opposing the proposed deal, saying it needs "additional work". The statement indicated that members of the EU and NATO would need to be consulted regarding certain clauses, which rule out Ukraine's NATO accession and impose terms on its European Union membership.

Citizen Views in Kyiv

Ukrainian reaction to the text, drawn up by a Russian representative and a US delegate, has been overwhelmingly hostile. Commentators argued it outlined a plan for further Russian aggression: not only of Ukraine but of other parts of Europe as well.

Nayyem, a journalist and politician who led Ukraine’s 2014 pro-democracy Maidan revolution, remarked it invited parallels with Chamberlain’s infamous Munich deal. Trumps’s peace plan came from the same "recognisable genre", where the affected party is asked to outline its own surrender for broader convenience.

In a Facebook post, he expressed his anger by its "full" amnesty for Russian war crimes. This offended those who sought shelter in affected cities – sites of civilian executions – and families of deported children to Russia. A deeply cynical deal, he concluded.

In an interview in Kyiv’s Golden Gate metro station, Dmytro Sariskyi, 21, commented that Russia has attempted to control Ukraine politically and territorially over many years. It conceded very little in the proposed deal and continued to keep troops in Ukraine. In my view, this deal aims to undermine Ukraine and impose unfair terms, he remarked.

Should Ukraine accept the terms Kyiv would be forced to sacrifice its liberties, he said. If it didn’t, the US would most likely break off cooperation and intelligence sharing, a crucial source of battlefield information for Ukraine's forces. "There is no good way out of this for now," he noted.

Diverse Perspectives from Ukrainian Citizens

A different commuter, 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 said Zelenskyy was a "smart person" and forecasted he would not give up Ukrainian land.

While speaking in the rain, near a historical monument, Olena Ivanovna mentioned she was grateful to Trump for his attempts to broker peace. She suggested that Ukraine ought to consider ceding certain regions temporarily if it ensured keeping America as a partner. "President Zelenskyy should hold a referendum and ask the people," she said.

European Officials Criticize the Plan

Former European heads of state have roundly condemned the plan. Ex-PM of Finland Sanna Marin described it as a disaster, not only for Ukraine and Ukrainians but for democracies worldwide. She warned if the west showed weakness and ignorance – as it did in 2014 when Putin annexed Crimea – "more aggression and conflicts" could arise.

The former prime minister of Belgium, Verhofstadt, quoted a statement by Churchill regarding appeasement as someone who accommodates an aggressor. He continued: Trump aligns with Putin. Europe must choose again: appeasement or our values, imperialism or freedom. Another moment of truth for our [European] union."