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Former President Trump indicated this past weekend that his Russian-prepared peace plan was not his ultimate proposal, after intense reaction from Ukrainian officials and commentators who compared it to a Munich pact of 1938 between Chamberlain and Hitler.

During brief comments from the White House, Trump told reporters: Our goal is to achieve peace. This should have occurred earlier … we’re trying to get it ended, in any case it must be resolved."

Forthcoming Geneva Talks Include Multiple Nations

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

Ahead of the talks, American lawmakers told media outlets that State Department head Marco Rubio reached out to them while en route to Switzerland to clarify the details of the leaked plan. He said, the proposal did not originate from the administration but instead a "wish list of the Russians", according to independent Maine senator Angus King, a member on the Foreign Relations Committee.

Zelenskyy Faces Critical Deadline

Nevertheless, the former president has set Volodymyr Zelenskyy a deadline of Thursday to sign the 28-point document. It calls on Kyiv to cede land it currently controls to Moscow, downsize its military forces, and surrender long-range weapons. It also excludes a European peacekeeping force and sanctions for atrocities committed by Russia.

During a solemn speech on Friday, the Ukrainian leader warned that his country confronts an impossible choice over the coming days between keeping the nation's honor and forfeiting a major partner in the shape of the US. He admitted that Ukraine is experiencing an extremely challenging period historically.

Ukraine's Dialogue Team Appointed for Geneva Meetings

In comments on Saturday, the president said that genuine or respectable peace depends on assured safety and fairness. He revealed a negotiating team, appointed through a decree, that would soon meet American representatives in Switzerland, led by top aide Yermak.

Another member of the Ukrainian delegation, ex-defense head and national security council secretary Rustem Umerov, stated there would be discussions with the US regarding potential terms for a peace deal.

Suggesting red lines, he added: "Ukraine approaches this process with a clear understanding of its interests. 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."

International Reaction and Criticism

The Ukrainian president has sought to participate positively with the US administration apparently intent to resolve the war based on Russian conditions. He has emphasized he cannot give up the nation's independence or disregard the constitutional framework that protects Ukraine's territorial integrity.

During a summit held in South Africa, G20 leaders and the European Council issued a collective declaration opposing Trump’s plan, stating it needs "additional work". The statement indicated that EU and Nato members would need to be consulted on some of its provisions, that exclude Kyiv’s Nato membership and impose terms on its future EU accession.

Citizen Opinion in Kyiv

Ukrainian reaction to the text, prepared by Putin’s envoy and Trump’s representative, has been overwhelmingly hostile. Commentators argued it outlined a plan for further Russian aggression: targeting not just Ukraine but of other parts of Europe too.

Nayyem, a public figure involved in the 2014 Maidan protests, remarked it invited parallels with Chamberlain’s infamous Munich deal. The proposal came from a similar category, with the victim invited "to formulate his own defeat so everyone else can live easier".

On social media, Nayyem said 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 families of deported children to Russian territory. "A rather cynical agreement," he concluded.

In an interview in a Kyiv subway station, Dmytro Sariskyi, a young adult, commented that Russia had been trying to control Ukraine politically and territorially "for years". The agreement offered "barely anything" in the proposed deal and maintained its forces on Ukrainian soil. In my view, this deal aims to undermine Ukraine and impose unfair terms, he remarked.

Should Ukraine accept the terms it would be compelled 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 battlefield information for frontline Ukrainian troops. Currently, there is no favorable solution, he noted.

Diverse Viewpoints from the Public

A different commuter, teenager Barchan, asserted that Ukraine 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 expressed that the president is intelligent and forecasted he would not cede territory.

Speaking in the rain, near a historical monument, Olena Ivanovna mentioned her appreciation to Trump for his peace-making efforts. She suggested that the nation should be ready ceding Crimea and the eastern Donbas region for a limited time if it meant maintaining US support. The president should conduct a public vote on this matter, she said.

EU Officials Criticize the Proposal

Previous European leaders have strongly criticized the plan. Ex-PM of Finland Sanna 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 – as it did in 2014 when Putin annexed Crimea – further hostilities could arise.

The former prime minister of Belgium, Guy Verhofstadt, quoted Churchill’s definition regarding appeasement as someone who accommodates an aggressor. He continued: "Trump now takes Putin’s side. Europe faces a choice between compromise and principles. A critical juncture for the European Union."