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Ex-leader Donald Trump indicated this past weekend that the Moscow-drafted peace plan constituted "not my final offer", following fierce reaction from Ukrainian leaders and commentators who likened it to the Munich pact of 1938 between Chamberlain and Adolf Hitler.

During short remarks from the White House, the US president informed reporters: "We’d like to get to peace. It should’ve happened a long time ago … we’re trying to get it ended, in any case we have to get it ended."

Upcoming Geneva Negotiations Include Multiple Countries

US and Ukrainian delegates are scheduled to meet in Geneva on Sunday to discuss this proposal. Security officials from France, Britain and Germany will also participate in these negotiations there.

Ahead of these discussions, US senators informed media outlets that Secretary of State Rubio contacted them while en route to Geneva to clarify the nature of the leaked plan. 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 King, a member on the Senate Foreign Relations Committee.

Zelenskyy Faces Critical Deadline

However, the former president has set Volodymyr Zelenskyy until Thursday to sign this multi-point agreement. It calls on Kyiv to cede territory it currently controls to Russia, downsize its military forces, and relinquish advanced weaponry. Additionally, it rules out a European peacekeeping force and sanctions for atrocities committed by Russia.

In a sombre speech last Friday, Zelenskyy cautioned that Ukraine confronts a difficult decision in the near future between keeping the nation's honor and losing a major partner like the United States. He admitted that Ukraine is experiencing one of the most difficult moments historically.

Ukrainian Negotiating Team Formed for Upcoming Talks

In comments on Saturday, the president said that real or "dignified" resolution was always based on "guaranteed security and justice". He announced a delegation, established through a decree, which will meet its US counterparts in Geneva, led by top aide Yermak.

A additional delegate of the Ukrainian delegation, ex-defense head and national security council secretary Umerov, said they will hold discussions with Washington "on the possible parameters of a future peace agreement".

Hinting at red lines, he noted: 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 Concerns

Zelenskyy has sought to participate positively with a White House seemingly determined to resolve the war on the Kremlin’s one-sided terms. He has emphasized he cannot give up Ukraine’s sovereignty or abandon the constitutional framework that protects the country’s current borders.

During a summit held in South Africa, leaders from the G20 and EU representatives issued 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, that exclude Ukraine's NATO accession and put conditions on its European Union membership.

Citizen Views in Ukraine's Capital

Responses from Ukrainians to the proposal, prepared by a Russian representative and a US delegate, has been overwhelmingly hostile. Analysts said it was a blueprint for further Russian aggression: not only of Ukraine but of other parts of Europe as well.

Nayyem, a public figure involved in Ukraine’s 2014 pro-democracy Maidan revolution, remarked it invited parallels with Chamberlain’s infamous Munich deal. The proposal belonged to a similar category, with the victim invited to outline its own surrender for broader convenience.

In a Facebook post, Nayyem expressed his anger by its "full" amnesty for Russian war crimes. This offended 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.

Speaking in Kyiv’s Golden Gate metro station, Sariskyi, a young adult, commented that Russia had been trying to control Ukraine politically and territorially over many years. It conceded very little in the Trump agreement and continued to keep its forces on Ukrainian soil. In my view, this deal aims to undermine Ukraine and impose unfair terms, he said.

Should Ukraine accept the terms it would be compelled to give up its freedoms, he said. If it didn’t, the US might cease collaboration and intelligence exchange, a crucial source of military intelligence for frontline Ukrainian troops. Currently, there is no favorable solution, he remarked.

Varied Viewpoints from Ukrainian Citizens

Another passenger, 19-year-old Sofia Barchan, said that Ukraine would remain resilient lacking US backing. "We will fight for as long as it takes. Crimea and the eastern regions are part of Ukraine. It belongs to Ukraine." She expressed that the president is intelligent and predicted he would not give up Ukrainian land.

While speaking in the rain, next to a replica of Kyiv’s original medieval gate, Ivanovna said she was grateful to the former US leader for his attempts to broker peace. She said that the nation ought to consider to give away certain regions temporarily if it ensured maintaining US support. "President Zelenskyy should hold a referendum and ask the people," she proposed.

EU Officials Condemn the Plan

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 democracies worldwide. She said if Western nations display vulnerability – similar to the 2014 Crimea annexation – further hostilities would follow.

Belgium's ex-PM, Guy Verhofstadt, quoted Churchill’s definition regarding appeasement as someone who accommodates an aggressor. He continued: Trump aligns with Putin. Europe faces a choice between compromise and principles. A critical juncture for the European Union."