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Ex-leader Donald Trump indicated this past weekend that his Moscow-drafted proposal for peace was "not my final offer", following strong backlash from Ukraine's leaders and commentators that likened it to the Munich pact of 1938 involving Chamberlain and Adolf Hitler.

During brief remarks from the White House, the US president informed journalists: "We’d like to get to peace. It should’ve happened a long time ago … we’re trying to get it ended, one way or the other we have to get it ended."

Forthcoming Switzerland Negotiations Involve Various Nations

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

Ahead of these discussions, American lawmakers informed media outlets that Secretary of State Rubio reached out to them while en route to Geneva to clarify the nature of this disclosed proposal. According to him, this plan did not originate from the administration but rather reflected Russian desires, according to independent Maine senator Angus King, who serves on the Senate Foreign Relations Committee.

Ukraine's President Faces Critical Deadline

However, the former president has set Volodymyr Zelenskyy until Thursday for signing this multi-point agreement. The document requires Kyiv to give up land under its control to Russia, downsize the size of its army, and relinquish advanced weaponry. Additionally, it rules out a European peacekeeping force and penalties for Russian war crimes.

In a sombre address last Friday, the Ukrainian leader warned that Ukraine faces an impossible choice over the coming days involving keeping its national dignity and forfeiting key ally like the United States. Zelenskyy acknowledged that Ukraine is experiencing an extremely challenging period historically.

Ukraine's Dialogue Delegation Formed for Geneva Talks

Speaking on Saturday, the president emphasized that real or "dignified" resolution was always based on "guaranteed security and justice". He revealed a negotiating team, established through a decree, that would soon meet American representatives in Geneva, led by his chief of staff Yermak.

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

Hinting at red lines, Umerov added: "Ukraine approaches this process with a clear understanding of its interests. This represents a continuation of recent discussions focused on harmonizing our plans for future actions."

Global Reaction and Concerns

Zelenskyy has sought to participate positively with the US administration apparently intent to end the conflict on the Kremlin’s one-sided terms. He has made clear that he will not surrender the nation's independence or abandon the constitutional framework that enshrines the country’s current borders.

At a meeting held in South Africa, G20 leaders and the European Council released a joint statement opposing Trump’s plan, stating it needs further refinement. It said 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.

Public Opinion in Ukraine's Capital

Responses from Ukrainians to the proposal, prepared by a Russian representative and a US delegate, have been largely negative. Commentators said it outlined a plan for further Russian aggression: not only of Ukraine but other European regions too.

Nayyem, a journalist and politician involved in Ukraine’s 2014 pro-democracy Maidan revolution, said it drew comparisons with the Munich Agreement. Trumps’s peace plan came from the same "recognisable genre", where the affected party is asked to outline its own surrender for broader convenience.

On social media, he said his anger by its "full" amnesty for Russian war crimes. It was an insult people who had hidden in basements in affected cities – where Russian troops executed hundreds of civilians – and families of deported children to Russian territory. "A rather cynical agreement," he concluded.

In an interview in a Kyiv subway station, Dmytro Sariskyi, a young adult, said that Moscow has attempted to dominate Ukraine "for years". The agreement offered very little in the proposed deal and maintained its forces on Ukrainian soil. "I think the deal is an attempt to break Ukraine and force unjust conditions on us," he said.

Should Ukraine accept the terms Kyiv would be forced to give up its freedoms, he added. If rejected, the US might cease collaboration and intelligence exchange, a vital resource of military intelligence for Ukraine's forces. Currently, there is no favorable solution, he noted.

Diverse Viewpoints from the Public

Another passenger, 19-year-old Sofia Barchan, asserted that the country would remain resilient 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 expressed that the president is intelligent and predicted he would not cede territory.

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 peace-making efforts. She suggested that the nation should be ready to give away certain regions temporarily if it ensured keeping America as a partner. "President Zelenskyy should hold a referendum and ask the people," she said.

European Officials Criticize the Plan

Former European heads of state have strongly criticized this proposal. Ex-PM of Finland Sanna Marin described it as a disaster, affecting not just Ukraine but for "all of the democratic world". She said if Western nations display vulnerability – as it did in 2014 when Putin annexed Crimea – further hostilities would follow.

The former prime minister of Belgium, Guy Verhofstadt, quoted Churchill’s definition of an appeaser as "one who feeds a crocodile, hoping it will eat him last". He added: "Trump now takes Putin’s side. Europe must choose again: appeasement or our values, imperialism or freedom. Another moment of truth for our [European] union."