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Former President Donald Trump remarked on Saturday that his Russian-prepared peace plan constituted not his ultimate proposal, after intense backlash from Ukrainian officials and analysts who likened it to the 1938 Munich agreement between Neville Chamberlain and Hitler.

In short remarks from the White House, the US president told reporters: "We’d like to get to peace. This should have occurred earlier … we are attempting to conclude it, one way or the other we have to get it ended."

Upcoming Geneva Talks Involve Various Countries

US and Ukrainian officials are scheduled to meet in Geneva this Sunday to discuss this proposal. Security officials from France, Britain and Germany are expected to join the talks in Geneva.

Prior to the talks, US senators informed the press that State Department head Rubio contacted them during his travel to Switzerland to clarify the nature of this disclosed proposal. He said, this plan did not originate from the administration but instead a "wish list of the Russians", as reported by Senator Angus King, a member on the Foreign Relations Committee.

Zelenskyy Faces Crucial Time Limit

However, the former president has set Zelenskyy until Thursday to sign this multi-point agreement. The document requires Kyiv to cede land it currently controls to Russia, downsize the size of its army, and relinquish advanced weaponry. Additionally, it excludes a European peacekeeping force and penalties for Russian war crimes.

In a sombre speech on Friday, the Ukrainian leader warned that Ukraine confronts a difficult decision over the coming days between preserving its national dignity and losing a major partner like the United States. Zelenskyy acknowledged that it faces one of the most difficult moments historically.

Ukraine's Dialogue Team Formed for Upcoming Talks

In comments on Saturday, Zelenskyy emphasized that real or respectable resolution depends on assured safety and fairness. He revealed a delegation, established by presidential decree, which will meet American representatives in Geneva, led by his chief of staff Yermak.

A additional delegate from Ukraine's team, former defence minister and national security council secretary Umerov, stated they will hold consultations with Washington "on the possible parameters of a future peace agreement".

Hinting at red lines, Umerov 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."

Global Reaction and Concerns

The Ukrainian president has sought to engage constructively with the US administration seemingly determined to end the conflict based on Russian conditions. He has emphasized that he will not surrender the nation's independence or abandon 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 the proposed deal, saying it requires "additional work". It said that EU and Nato members must be involved on some of its provisions, which rule out Kyiv’s Nato membership and impose terms on its future EU accession.

Public Views in Ukraine's Capital

Ukrainian reaction to the text, drawn up by a Russian representative and Trump’s representative, have been largely negative. Analysts said it was a blueprint for further Russian aggression: not only of Ukraine but other European regions as well.

Mustafa Nayyem, a public figure who led the 2014 Maidan protests, remarked it drew comparisons with the Munich Agreement. Trumps’s peace plan belonged to a similar category, with the victim invited "to formulate his own defeat so everyone else can live easier".

On social media, Nayyem expressed his anger by the complete pardon for Russian atrocities. This offended those who sought shelter in Bucha or Mariupol – sites of civilian executions – and for those whose children had been forcibly deported to Russia. A deeply cynical deal, he stated.

Speaking in a Kyiv subway station, Dmytro Sariskyi, a young adult, said that Russia had been trying to dominate Ukraine "for years". It conceded "barely anything" in the Trump agreement and maintained troops in Ukraine. "I think the deal is an attempt to break Ukraine and force unjust conditions on us," he remarked.

Should Ukraine accept the terms it would be compelled to give up its freedoms, he added. If rejected, the US would most likely break off cooperation and intelligence sharing, a crucial source of battlefield information for frontline Ukrainian troops. "There is no good way out of this for now," he noted.

Diverse Perspectives from Ukrainian Citizens

Another passenger, teenager Sofia Barchan, said that Ukraine would remain resilient lacking US backing. "We will fight for as long as it takes. Our territory will remain our territory, including Crimea and the east. They are Ukrainian land." She said that the president is intelligent and predicted he would not cede territory.

While speaking during rainfall, next to a replica of Kyiv’s original medieval gate, Ivanovna said she was grateful to Trump for his attempts to broker peace. She said that the nation ought to consider to give away Crimea and the eastern Donbas region temporarily if it ensured maintaining US support. The president should conduct a public vote on this matter, she proposed.

EU Leaders Criticize the Plan

Previous European leaders have strongly criticized the plan. Finland’s former prime minister Marin described it as a catastrophe, not only for Ukraine and Ukrainians but for democracies worldwide. She said if the west showed weakness and ignorance – as it did in 2014 when Putin annexed Crimea – further hostilities would follow.

Belgium's ex-PM, Guy Verhofstadt, referenced Churchill’s definition of an appeaser as "one who feeds a crocodile, hoping it will eat him last". He continued: "Trump now takes Putin’s side. Europe faces a choice between compromise and principles. A critical juncture for the European Union."