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Former President Trump indicated on Saturday that his Moscow-drafted peace plan constituted "not my final offer", following strong reaction from Ukraine's officials and analysts that likened it to the 1938 Munich agreement between Chamberlain and Adolf Hitler.

In short remarks at the White House, Trump 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 Talks Include Various Nations

Ukrainian and American officials will meet in Geneva this Sunday to discuss this proposal. Defense representatives from Germany, France, and the UK will also participate in these negotiations there.

Prior to these discussions, American lawmakers told media outlets that State Department head Rubio contacted them while en route to Switzerland to clarify the details of the leaked plan. He said, the proposal "was not the administration’s plan" but rather reflected Russian desires, as reported by independent Maine senator Angus King, a member on the Foreign Relations Committee.

Ukraine's President Faces Crucial Deadline

However, the former president has set Volodymyr Zelenskyy a deadline of Thursday for signing this multi-point agreement. It calls on Ukraine to give up territory it currently controls to Russia, downsize the size of its army, and surrender advanced weaponry. It also rules out a European peacekeeping force and penalties for Russian war crimes.

During a solemn speech on Friday, the Ukrainian leader warned that his country faces an impossible choice in the near future involving preserving the nation's honor and losing a major partner in the shape of the US. Zelenskyy acknowledged that it faces an extremely challenging period historically.

Ukraine's Negotiating Delegation Formed for Upcoming Talks

In comments on Saturday, Zelenskyy said that real or "dignified" resolution depends on assured safety and fairness. He revealed a delegation, appointed by presidential decree, that would soon meet American representatives in Geneva, led by top aide Andriy Yermak.

Another member from Ukraine's team, ex-defense head and security council official Umerov, said they will hold consultations with Washington regarding potential terms for a peace deal.

Hinting at limits, 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 engage constructively with the US administration seemingly determined to end the conflict on the Kremlin’s one-sided terms. He has emphasized he cannot give up the nation's independence or disregard a constitution that protects Ukraine's territorial integrity.

At a meeting in South Africa, leaders from the G20 and the European Council issued a collective declaration opposing Trump’s plan, saying it needs "additional work". It said that members of the EU and NATO must be involved regarding certain clauses, which rule out Ukraine's NATO accession and put conditions on its European Union membership.

Citizen Views in Kyiv

Responses from Ukrainians to the proposal, prepared by Putin’s envoy and a US delegate, has been overwhelmingly hostile. Analysts argued it outlined a plan for further Russian aggression: targeting not just Ukraine but of other parts of Europe too.

Nayyem, a journalist and politician who led Ukraine’s 2014 pro-democracy Maidan revolution, remarked it invited parallels with Chamberlain’s infamous Munich deal. The proposal belonged to a similar category, where the affected party is asked "to formulate his own defeat so everyone else can live easier".

In a Facebook post, Nayyem said he was outraged by the complete pardon for Russian atrocities. It was an insult people who had hidden in basements in affected cities – sites of civilian executions – and families of deported children to Russia. A deeply cynical deal, he stated.

Speaking in Kyiv’s Golden Gate metro station, Dmytro Sariskyi, a young adult, commented that Moscow had been trying to dominate Ukraine "for years". The agreement offered very little in the proposed deal and continued to keep 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 rejected, the US might cease collaboration and intelligence exchange, a crucial source of military intelligence for Ukraine's forces. Currently, there is no favorable solution, he noted.

Diverse Perspectives from the Public

Another passenger, teenager Sofia Barchan, asserted 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. It belongs to Ukraine." She said Zelenskyy was a "smart person" and forecasted he would not give up Ukrainian land.

While speaking during rainfall, next to a replica of Kyiv’s original medieval gate, Olena Ivanovna said her appreciation to the former US leader for his attempts to broker peace. She suggested that the nation should be ready ceding Crimea and the eastern Donbas region for a limited time if it meant keeping America as a partner. "President Zelenskyy should hold a referendum and ask the people," she proposed.

EU Leaders Criticize the Proposal

Previous European leaders have strongly criticized the plan. Ex-PM of Finland Marin called it a catastrophe, 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" could arise.

The former prime minister of Belgium, Verhofstadt, quoted Churchill’s definition of an appeaser 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."