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Former President Trump remarked on Saturday that the Moscow-drafted peace plan was "not my final offer", after intense criticism from Ukraine's leaders and analysts who likened it to the Munich pact of 1938 between Chamberlain and Hitler.

During short comments from the White House, Trump told reporters: Our goal is to achieve peace. This should have occurred earlier … we are attempting to conclude it, in any case we have to get it ended."

Upcoming Geneva Talks Involve Various Countries

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

Ahead of these discussions, American lawmakers told media outlets that Secretary of State Rubio reached out to them while en route to Geneva to clarify the details of this disclosed proposal. He said, the proposal "was not the administration’s plan" but instead reflected Russian desires, according to Senator King, a member on the Senate Foreign Relations Committee.

Ukraine's President Faces Critical Time Limit

Nevertheless, the former president has set Zelenskyy a deadline of Thursday for signing the 28-point document. It calls on Kyiv to cede territory it currently controls to Moscow, reduce its military forces, and relinquish advanced weaponry. It also rules out international peacekeepers and sanctions for Russian war crimes.

During a solemn speech on Friday, Zelenskyy cautioned that his country faces a difficult decision in the near future between preserving its national dignity and losing key ally in the shape of the US. He admitted that it faces one of the most difficult moments historically.

Ukraine's Negotiating Team Appointed for Upcoming Talks

In comments on Saturday, the president said that real or "dignified" peace was always based on assured safety and fairness. He revealed a negotiating team, appointed through a decree, which will meet its US counterparts in Geneva, headed by his chief of staff Andriy Yermak.

Another member of the Ukrainian delegation, former defence minister and national security council secretary Rustem Umerov, said there would be discussions with Washington regarding potential terms for a peace deal.

Suggesting red lines, Umerov 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 Response and Concerns

The Ukrainian president has sought to participate positively with the US administration seemingly determined 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 the country’s current borders.

At a meeting held in South Africa, G20 leaders and EU representatives released a collective declaration opposing Trump’s plan, saying it requires further refinement. The statement indicated that members of the EU and NATO must be involved on some of its provisions, that exclude Kyiv’s Nato membership and put conditions on its European Union membership.

Citizen Opinion in Kyiv

Ukrainian reaction to the proposal, prepared by a Russian representative and Trump’s representative, have been largely negative. Analysts argued it was a blueprint for another Russian invasion: not only of Ukraine but of other parts of Europe too.

Mustafa 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.

On social media, he expressed he was outraged by the complete pardon for Russian atrocities. This offended those who sought shelter in affected cities – sites of civilian executions – and families of deported children to Russia. A deeply cynical deal, he concluded.

Speaking in Kyiv’s Golden Gate metro station, Dmytro Sariskyi, a young adult, said that Russia had been trying to dominate Ukraine "for years". It conceded "barely anything" in the proposed deal and continued to keep 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 it would be compelled to give up its freedoms, he said. If it didn’t, the US would most likely break off cooperation and intelligence sharing, a vital resource of battlefield information for Ukraine's forces. "There is no good way out of this for now," he noted.

Varied Viewpoints from Ukrainian Citizens

A different commuter, teenager Sofia Barchan, said that Ukraine 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. It belongs to Ukraine." She said that the president is intelligent and forecasted he would not cede territory.

While speaking during rainfall, near a historical monument, Ivanovna said she was grateful to Trump for his peace-making efforts. She suggested that Ukraine ought to consider to give away Crimea and the eastern Donbas region for a limited time if it meant keeping America as a partner. The president should conduct a public vote on this matter, she proposed.

European Officials Criticize the Proposal

Previous European leaders have strongly criticized the plan. Ex-PM of Finland Marin called it a disaster, not only for Ukraine and Ukrainians but for democracies worldwide. She warned if Western nations display vulnerability – similar to the 2014 Crimea annexation – "more aggression and conflicts" would follow.

Belgium's ex-PM, Guy Verhofstadt, quoted Churchill’s definition regarding appeasement as "one who feeds a crocodile, hoping it will eat him last". He continued: Trump aligns with Putin. Europe must choose again: appeasement or our values, imperialism or freedom. Another moment of truth for our [European] union."