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Former President Donald Trump indicated on Saturday that his Russian-prepared peace plan constituted not his ultimate proposal, following fierce backlash from Ukrainian leaders and commentators who compared it to the Munich pact of 1938 involving Neville Chamberlain and Hitler.

During brief comments from the White House, the US president informed reporters: Our goal is to achieve peace. It should’ve happened a long time ago … we are attempting to conclude it, one way or the other we have to get it ended."

Forthcoming Switzerland Talks Involve Various Nations

Ukrainian and American delegates are scheduled to meet in Geneva this Sunday for discussions on the plan. Defense representatives from Germany, France, and the UK are expected to join the talks in Geneva.

Ahead of these discussions, US senators told media outlets that State Department head Rubio contacted them while en route to Geneva for clarification on the details of this disclosed proposal. He said, the proposal did not originate from the administration but rather reflected Russian desires, according to independent Maine senator Angus King, who serves on the Foreign Relations Committee.

Ukraine's President Faces Critical Time Limit

Nevertheless, Trump has set Volodymyr Zelenskyy until Thursday to sign this multi-point agreement. It calls on Ukraine to give up territory it currently controls to Moscow, downsize its military forces, and relinquish long-range weapons. It also excludes a European peacekeeping force and penalties for atrocities committed by Russia.

In a sombre speech on Friday, the Ukrainian leader warned that Ukraine faces a difficult decision in the near future between preserving the nation's honor and losing key ally like the United States. Zelenskyy acknowledged that it faces one of the most difficult moments historically.

Ukraine's Dialogue Delegation Appointed for Upcoming Talks

In comments on Saturday, Zelenskyy emphasized that real or respectable resolution depends on "guaranteed security and justice". He announced a negotiating team, appointed through a decree, which will meet its US counterparts in Switzerland, headed by his chief of staff Andriy Yermak.

Another member from Ukraine's team, ex-defense head and security council official Umerov, said they will hold consultations with the US "on the possible parameters of a future peace agreement".

Hinting at limits, Umerov added: 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."

International Reaction and Criticism

Zelenskyy has sought to participate positively with a White House seemingly determined to resolve the war based on Russian conditions. He has emphasized that he will not surrender Ukraine’s sovereignty or abandon the constitutional framework that protects Ukraine's territorial integrity.

During a summit held in South Africa, leaders from the G20 and EU representatives issued a joint statement pushing back on Trump’s plan, saying it requires "additional work". The statement indicated that EU and Nato members must be involved regarding certain clauses, which rule out Kyiv’s Nato membership and put conditions on its future EU accession.

Public Opinion in Ukraine's Capital

Responses from Ukrainians to the text, drawn up by a Russian representative and Trump’s representative, has been overwhelmingly hostile. Analysts said it was a blueprint for another Russian invasion: targeting not just Ukraine but of other parts of Europe too.

Mustafa Nayyem, a journalist and politician involved in the 2014 Maidan protests, remarked it drew comparisons with the Munich Agreement. Trumps’s peace plan came from the same "recognisable genre", 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 those who sought shelter in Bucha or Mariupol – sites of civilian executions – and families of deported children to Russian territory. "A rather cynical agreement," he stated.

In an interview in a Kyiv subway station, Sariskyi, 21, said that Russia had been trying to control Ukraine politically and territorially "for years". The agreement offered very little 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 said.

If Zelenskyy signed off on the proposals Kyiv would be forced to sacrifice its liberties, he said. If it didn’t, 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 remarked.

Diverse Perspectives from Ukrainian Citizens

A different commuter, 19-year-old Sofia Barchan, asserted that Ukraine would "keep strong" without American support. We will continue our struggle as needed. Crimea and the eastern regions are part of Ukraine. They are Ukrainian land." She said Zelenskyy was a "smart person" and predicted he would not give up Ukrainian land.

While speaking in the rain, near a historical monument, Olena Ivanovna mentioned she was grateful to Trump for his attempts to broker peace. She suggested that the nation should be ready ceding certain regions temporarily if it meant maintaining US support. The president should conduct a public vote on this matter, she said.

EU Officials Criticize the Proposal

Former European heads of state have strongly criticized this proposal. Finland’s former prime minister Marin called it 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, quoted a statement by Churchill of an appeaser as "one who feeds a crocodile, hoping it will eat him last". He added: "Trump now takes Putin’s side. Europe faces a choice between compromise and principles. A critical juncture for the European Union."