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Former President Trump remarked on Saturday that the Moscow-drafted proposal for peace constituted "not my final offer", following intense criticism from Ukrainian officials and analysts who likened it to a 1938 Munich agreement involving Neville Chamberlain and Hitler.

During brief remarks at the White House, Trump informed reporters: Our goal is to achieve peace. This should have occurred earlier … we’re trying to get it ended, in any case we have to get it ended."

Upcoming Switzerland Talks Include Various Countries

US and Ukrainian officials are scheduled to meet in Switzerland this Sunday for discussions on this proposal. Security officials from Germany, France, and the UK will also participate in the talks in Geneva.

Prior to the talks, American lawmakers informed media outlets that State Department head Rubio reached out to them while en route to Switzerland for clarification on the nature of this disclosed proposal. According to him, this plan "was not the administration’s plan" but rather a "wish list of the Russians", as reported by independent Maine senator Angus King, a member on the Senate Foreign Relations Committee.

Ukraine's President Confronts Crucial Deadline

Nevertheless, Trump has set Zelenskyy until Thursday to sign this multi-point agreement. The document requires Kyiv to give up territory it currently controls to Moscow, reduce its military forces, and surrender advanced weaponry. Additionally, it rules out international peacekeepers and penalties for Russian war crimes.

During a solemn speech on Friday, the Ukrainian leader warned that Ukraine confronts a difficult decision over the coming days involving preserving its national dignity and losing key ally like the United States. Zelenskyy acknowledged that Ukraine is experiencing an extremely challenging period historically.

Ukrainian Negotiating Team Appointed for Geneva Talks

In comments on Saturday, the president emphasized that real or "dignified" peace was always based on "guaranteed security and justice". He revealed a negotiating team, established through a decree, which will meet its US counterparts in Geneva, headed by his chief of staff Yermak.

Another member from Ukraine's team, former defence minister and national security council secretary Umerov, stated they will hold consultations with the US regarding potential terms for a peace deal.

Hinting at red lines, Umerov noted: "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 Reaction and Concerns

Zelenskyy has sought to engage constructively 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 Ukraine’s sovereignty or disregard a constitution that protects Ukraine's territorial integrity.

During a summit in South Africa, G20 leaders and EU representatives issued a joint statement pushing back on the proposed deal, stating it requires further refinement. The statement indicated that EU and Nato members must be involved on some of its provisions, which rule out Kyiv’s Nato membership and impose terms on its future EU accession.

Citizen Views in Ukraine's Capital

Ukrainian reaction to the text, drawn up by Putin’s envoy and Trump’s representative, have been largely negative. Commentators 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 invited parallels with Chamberlain’s infamous Munich deal. Trumps’s peace plan belonged to the same "recognisable genre", with the victim invited "to formulate his own defeat so everyone else can live easier".

On social media, he said his anger by its "full" amnesty for Russian war crimes. It was an insult those who sought shelter in Bucha or Mariupol – where Russian troops executed hundreds of civilians – and families of deported children to Russia. A deeply cynical deal, he stated.

In an interview in a Kyiv subway station, Dmytro Sariskyi, 21, commented that Russia had been trying to control Ukraine politically and territorially over many years. It conceded "barely anything" in the Trump agreement and maintained its forces on Ukrainian soil. In my view, this deal aims to undermine Ukraine and impose unfair terms, he said.

If Zelenskyy signed off on the proposals Kyiv would be forced to give up its freedoms, he added. If it didn’t, the US would most likely break off cooperation and intelligence sharing, a crucial source of military intelligence for frontline Ukrainian troops. Currently, there is no favorable solution, he noted.

Varied Perspectives from the Public

A different commuter, 19-year-old Sofia Barchan, said that the country would remain resilient without American support. We will continue our struggle as needed. Our territory will remain our territory, including Crimea and the east. They are Ukrainian land." She said Zelenskyy was a "smart person" and predicted he would not cede territory.

While speaking during rainfall, next to a replica of Kyiv’s original medieval gate, Olena Ivanovna said she was grateful to Trump for his attempts to broker peace. She said that the nation ought to consider ceding certain regions for a limited time if it ensured 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 this proposal. Finland’s former prime minister Sanna Marin described it as a disaster, not only for Ukraine and Ukrainians but for democracies worldwide. She said if Western nations display vulnerability – similar to the 2014 Crimea annexation – further hostilities would follow.

The former prime minister of Belgium, Guy Verhofstadt, quoted Churchill’s definition of an appeaser as "one who feeds a crocodile, hoping it will eat him last". He added: Trump aligns with Putin. Europe must choose again: appeasement or our values, imperialism or freedom. A critical juncture for the European Union."