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Former President Donald Trump stated on Saturday that his Moscow-drafted peace plan constituted not his ultimate proposal, after strong criticism from Ukrainian leaders and analysts that compared it to the Munich pact of 1938 between Chamberlain and Adolf Hitler.

During brief remarks from the White House, Trump told reporters: Our goal is to achieve peace. This should have occurred earlier … we’re trying to get it ended, one way or the other we have to get it ended."

Upcoming Geneva Negotiations Involve Various Countries

US and Ukrainian delegates are scheduled to meet in Switzerland on Sunday for discussions on the plan. Defense representatives from France, Britain and Germany are expected to join these negotiations there.

Prior to the talks, US senators told media outlets that State Department head Rubio contacted them during his travel to Switzerland to clarify the nature of this disclosed proposal. According to him, this plan "was not the administration’s plan" but rather a "wish list of the Russians", according to Senator King, who serves on the Senate Foreign Relations Committee.

Ukraine's President Faces Critical Time Limit

Nevertheless, Trump has set Zelenskyy a deadline of Thursday to sign the 28-point document. The document requires Ukraine to give up territory it currently controls to Moscow, reduce its military forces, and relinquish long-range weapons. It also rules out international peacekeepers and sanctions for Russian war crimes.

During a solemn speech on Friday, the Ukrainian leader cautioned that Ukraine confronts an impossible choice in the near future between preserving its national dignity and losing a major partner like the United States. Zelenskyy acknowledged that Ukraine is experiencing one of the most difficult moments historically.

Ukraine's Dialogue Delegation Appointed for Upcoming Talks

Speaking this weekend, Zelenskyy said that genuine or "dignified" resolution was always based on assured safety and fairness. He announced a delegation, appointed by presidential decree, which will meet its US counterparts in Switzerland, headed by his chief of staff Andriy Yermak.

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

Suggesting red lines, he added: Ukraine enters these talks with defined goals. This represents a continuation of recent discussions focused on harmonizing our plans for future actions."

International Response and Concerns

The Ukrainian president has attempted to engage constructively with a White House seemingly determined to end the conflict on the Kremlin’s one-sided terms. He has made clear that he will not surrender Ukraine’s sovereignty or abandon a constitution that protects the country’s current borders.

During a summit held in South Africa, leaders from the G20 and EU representatives issued a collective declaration pushing back on the proposed deal, stating it requires further refinement. It said that EU and Nato members must be involved regarding certain clauses, that exclude Ukraine's NATO accession and put conditions on its European Union membership.

Public Views in Ukraine's Capital

Responses from Ukrainians to the proposal, drawn up by Putin’s envoy and a US delegate, have been largely negative. Analysts said it was a blueprint for further Russian aggression: targeting not just Ukraine but of other parts of Europe as well.

Nayyem, a public figure involved in the 2014 Maidan protests, said it drew comparisons with the Munich Agreement. Trumps’s peace plan came from a similar category, with the victim invited to outline its own surrender for broader convenience.

On social media, he said he was outraged by the complete pardon for Russian atrocities. It was an insult those who sought shelter in affected cities – where Russian troops executed hundreds of civilians – and for those whose children had been forcibly deported to Russia. A deeply cynical deal, he concluded.

In an interview in Kyiv’s Golden Gate metro station, Sariskyi, a young adult, commented that Moscow has attempted to control Ukraine politically and territorially over many years. The agreement offered "barely anything" in the proposed deal and continued to keep troops in Ukraine. "I think the deal is an attempt to break Ukraine and force unjust conditions on us," he said.

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 vital resource of military intelligence for Ukraine's forces. "There is no good way out of this for now," he remarked.

Diverse Viewpoints from Ukrainian Citizens

Another passenger, 19-year-old Barchan, asserted 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. They are Ukrainian land." She said Zelenskyy was a "smart person" and forecasted he would not give up Ukrainian land.

Speaking during rainfall, near a historical monument, Ivanovna mentioned she was grateful to the former US leader for his peace-making efforts. She suggested that the nation ought to consider to give away Crimea and the eastern Donbas region for a limited time if it ensured maintaining US support. "President Zelenskyy should hold a referendum and ask the people," she said.

European Leaders Criticize the Plan

Former European heads of state have strongly criticized this proposal. Finland’s former prime minister Sanna Marin described it as a catastrophe, affecting not just Ukraine but for democracies worldwide. She warned if the west showed weakness and ignorance – similar to the 2014 Crimea annexation – further hostilities would follow.

The former prime minister of Belgium, Verhofstadt, referenced a statement by Churchill of an appeaser as someone who accommodates an aggressor. He continued: Trump aligns with Putin. Europe faces a choice between compromise and principles. Another moment of truth for our [European] union."