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Former President Donald Trump remarked on Saturday that his Russian-prepared proposal for peace constituted "not my final offer", after fierce backlash from Ukrainian leaders and analysts who likened it to a 1938 Munich agreement involving Chamberlain and Adolf Hitler.

During short remarks at the White House, Trump told journalists: 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 Geneva Talks Involve Multiple Countries

US and Ukrainian officials are scheduled to meet in Switzerland this Sunday to discuss this proposal. Security officials from Germany, France, and the UK are expected to join these negotiations in Geneva.

Prior to these discussions, American lawmakers informed media outlets that State Department head Marco Rubio reached out to them while en route to Geneva to clarify the details of this disclosed proposal. According to him, the proposal "was not the administration’s plan" but rather a "wish list of the Russians", as reported by Senator King, who serves on the Foreign Relations Committee.

Zelenskyy Confronts Critical Time Limit

Nevertheless, the former president has given Volodymyr Zelenskyy until Thursday to sign the 28-point document. The document requires Kyiv to give up territory under its control to Moscow, downsize the size of its army, and relinquish advanced weaponry. Additionally, it excludes a European peacekeeping force and sanctions for Russian war crimes.

During a solemn address last Friday, Zelenskyy warned that his country confronts 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 one of the most difficult moments historically.

Ukraine's Dialogue Delegation Formed for Geneva Meetings

In comments on Saturday, the president said that real or "dignified" peace was always based on assured safety and fairness. He announced a negotiating team, appointed by presidential decree, which will meet American representatives in Switzerland, headed by top aide Andriy Yermak.

Another member of the Ukrainian delegation, ex-defense head and national security council secretary Rustem Umerov, stated they will hold discussions with Washington "on the possible parameters of a future peace agreement".

Hinting at red lines, Umerov added: Ukraine enters these talks with defined goals. 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 apparently intent to resolve the war based on Russian conditions. He has made clear he cannot give up the nation's independence or abandon a constitution that enshrines Ukraine's territorial integrity.

At a meeting in South Africa, G20 leaders and the European Council issued a collective declaration opposing the proposed deal, stating it requires "additional work". The statement indicated that EU and Nato members must be involved regarding certain clauses, which rule out Kyiv’s Nato membership and put conditions on its European Union membership.

Citizen Opinion in Kyiv

Ukrainian reaction to the proposal, drawn up by a Russian representative and a US delegate, have been largely negative. 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 who led the 2014 Maidan protests, said it drew comparisons 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 he was outraged by its "full" amnesty for Russian war crimes. This offended people who had hidden in basements in affected cities – sites of civilian executions – and families of deported children to Russia. "A rather cynical agreement," he stated.

Speaking in a Kyiv subway station, Sariskyi, a young adult, said that Moscow has attempted to dominate Ukraine "for years". The agreement offered "barely anything" in the Trump agreement and maintained troops in Ukraine. In my view, this deal aims to undermine Ukraine and impose unfair terms, he said.

Should Ukraine accept the terms Kyiv would be forced to sacrifice its liberties, he said. If it didn’t, 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.

Diverse Viewpoints from Ukrainian Citizens

Another passenger, 19-year-old Sofia Barchan, asserted that Ukraine would "keep strong" lacking US backing. We will continue our struggle as needed. Our territory will remain our territory, including Crimea and the east. It belongs to Ukraine." She said 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 peace-making efforts. She said that the nation ought to consider to give away Crimea and the eastern Donbas region temporarily if it ensured keeping America as a partner. 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 catastrophe, not only for Ukraine and Ukrainians but for "all of the democratic world". She said if the west showed weakness and ignorance – similar to the 2014 Crimea annexation – further hostilities could arise.

The former prime minister of Belgium, Verhofstadt, quoted a statement by Churchill of an appeaser as "one who feeds a crocodile, hoping it will eat him last". He added: "Trump now takes Putin’s side. Europe faces a choice between compromise and principles. Another moment of truth for our [European] union."