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Ex-leader Trump remarked this past weekend that the Moscow-drafted peace plan was not his ultimate proposal, following intense backlash from Ukraine's officials and commentators who compared it to a Munich pact of 1938 involving Chamberlain and Adolf Hitler.

In short comments from the White House, Trump told reporters: "We’d like to get to peace. It should’ve happened a long time ago … we are attempting to conclude it, one way or the other we have to get it ended."

Upcoming Switzerland Talks Include Multiple Countries

Ukrainian and American delegates will meet in Geneva on Sunday to discuss this proposal. Security officials from Germany, France, and the UK are expected to join the talks in Geneva.

Prior to these discussions, American lawmakers told media outlets that Secretary of State Rubio reached out to them during his travel to Geneva for clarification on the nature of the leaked plan. He said, this plan "was not the administration’s plan" but rather reflected Russian desires, according to independent Maine senator King, a member on the Foreign Relations Committee.

Ukraine's President Confronts Critical Deadline

However, Trump has given Volodymyr Zelenskyy until Thursday to sign this multi-point agreement. The document requires Kyiv to cede territory it currently controls to Moscow, downsize the size of its army, and surrender long-range weapons. It also rules out a European peacekeeping force and penalties for atrocities committed by Russia.

In a sombre address last Friday, Zelenskyy warned that Ukraine confronts a difficult decision over the coming days between preserving the nation's honor and forfeiting a major partner in the shape of the US. Zelenskyy acknowledged that it faces an extremely challenging period in its history.

Ukrainian Dialogue Delegation Appointed for Upcoming Talks

Speaking this weekend, Zelenskyy said that real or "dignified" peace was always based on "guaranteed security and justice". He announced a negotiating team, appointed through a decree, which will meet its US counterparts in Switzerland, headed by top aide Yermak.

Another member of the Ukrainian delegation, former defence minister and security council official Umerov, said they will hold discussions with Washington regarding potential terms for a peace deal.

Suggesting limits, 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."

Global Reaction and Criticism

The Ukrainian president has sought to engage constructively with the US administration apparently intent to end the conflict based on Russian conditions. He has emphasized he cannot give up Ukraine’s sovereignty or abandon the constitutional framework that protects Ukraine's territorial integrity.

At a meeting in South Africa, G20 leaders and EU representatives issued a joint statement opposing the proposed deal, saying it requires further refinement. It said that EU and Nato members would need to be consulted regarding certain clauses, that exclude Kyiv’s Nato membership and impose terms on its future EU accession.

Citizen Opinion in Ukraine's Capital

Ukrainian reaction to the text, prepared by Putin’s envoy and a US delegate, have been largely negative. Analysts argued it outlined a plan for another Russian invasion: targeting not just Ukraine but other European regions as well.

Nayyem, a journalist and politician involved in the 2014 Maidan protests, said it invited parallels with the Munich Agreement. Trumps’s peace plan came from a similar category, with the victim invited "to formulate his own defeat so everyone else can live easier".

In a Facebook post, he expressed his anger by the complete pardon for Russian atrocities. It was an insult those who sought shelter in Bucha or Mariupol – sites of civilian executions – and families of deported children to Russia. "A rather cynical agreement," he concluded.

Speaking in Kyiv’s Golden Gate metro station, Dmytro Sariskyi, a young adult, said that Moscow had been trying to control Ukraine politically and territorially over many years. It conceded "barely anything" 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 said.

If Zelenskyy signed off on the proposals it would be compelled to give up its freedoms, 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 noted.

Varied Perspectives from the Public

A different commuter, 19-year-old Barchan, said that the country would "keep strong" without American support. "We will fight for as long as it takes. Our territory will remain our territory, including Crimea and the east. They are Ukrainian land." She expressed Zelenskyy was a "smart person" and predicted he would not give up Ukrainian land.

Speaking in the rain, next to a replica of Kyiv’s original medieval gate, Olena Ivanovna said she was grateful to the former US leader for his attempts to broker peace. She said that the nation ought to consider ceding certain regions for a limited time if it ensured keeping America as a partner. "President Zelenskyy should hold a referendum and ask the people," she said.

EU Officials Criticize the Proposal

Former European heads of state have strongly criticized the plan. Finland’s former prime minister Marin called it a disaster, not only for Ukraine and Ukrainians but for "all of the democratic world". She warned if the west showed weakness and ignorance – similar to the 2014 Crimea annexation – "more aggression and conflicts" would follow.

Belgium's ex-PM, Guy Verhofstadt, quoted a statement by Churchill regarding appeasement as someone who accommodates an aggressor. He added: Trump aligns with Putin. Europe must choose again: appeasement or our values, imperialism or freedom. Another moment of truth for our [European] union."