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Former President Trump indicated on Saturday that his Russian-prepared peace plan was not his ultimate proposal, following strong backlash from Ukraine's officials and analysts that compared it to the Munich pact of 1938 between Chamberlain and Hitler.

During short comments from the White House, the US president informed journalists: Our goal is to achieve peace. This should have occurred earlier … we are attempting to conclude it, one way or the other we have to get it ended."

Upcoming Switzerland Negotiations Include Various Countries

Ukrainian and American delegates will meet in Geneva this Sunday for discussions on this proposal. Security officials from France, Britain and Germany are expected to join the talks in Geneva.

Ahead of the talks, American lawmakers told media outlets that Secretary of State Marco Rubio contacted them during his travel to Geneva for clarification on the nature of this disclosed proposal. He said, this plan "was not the administration’s plan" but instead reflected Russian desires, according to Senator King, a member on the Foreign Relations Committee.

Zelenskyy Faces Crucial Time Limit

However, the former president has given Volodymyr Zelenskyy a deadline of Thursday to sign this multi-point agreement. It calls on Ukraine to cede territory it currently controls to Moscow, reduce the size of its army, and surrender long-range weapons. Additionally, it rules out a European peacekeeping force and penalties for atrocities committed by Russia.

In a sombre address on Friday, Zelenskyy warned that his country confronts an impossible choice over the coming days between preserving its national dignity and forfeiting key ally in the shape of the US. He admitted that it faces one of the most difficult moments historically.

Ukraine's Negotiating Team Formed for Upcoming Talks

Speaking on Saturday, the president said that genuine or "dignified" peace was always based on assured safety and fairness. He revealed a negotiating team, appointed through a decree, which will meet American representatives in Geneva, headed by his chief of staff Andriy Yermak.

A additional delegate from Ukraine's team, former defence minister and security council official Umerov, stated they will hold consultations with Washington regarding potential terms for a peace deal.

Suggesting limits, he noted: "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

Zelenskyy has attempted to participate positively with a White House apparently intent to end the conflict on the Kremlin’s one-sided terms. He has emphasized he cannot give up Ukraine’s sovereignty or abandon the constitutional framework that protects the country’s current borders.

During a summit in South Africa, leaders from the G20 and the European Council issued a collective declaration opposing Trump’s plan, stating it requires further refinement. It said that members of the EU and NATO would need to be consulted on some of its provisions, which rule out Kyiv’s Nato membership and put conditions on its European Union membership.

Public Opinion in Kyiv

Responses from Ukrainians to the text, prepared by Putin’s envoy and a US delegate, have been largely negative. Commentators argued it outlined a plan for further Russian aggression: targeting not just Ukraine but other European regions as well.

Mustafa Nayyem, a journalist and politician who led Ukraine’s 2014 pro-democracy Maidan revolution, said it invited parallels with the Munich Agreement. Trumps’s peace plan belonged to a similar category, where the affected party is asked "to formulate his own defeat so everyone else can live easier".

On social media, Nayyem said he was outraged by the complete pardon for Russian atrocities. It was an insult those who sought shelter in Bucha or Mariupol – where Russian troops executed hundreds of civilians – and families of deported children to Russia. "A rather cynical agreement," he stated.

Speaking in Kyiv’s Golden Gate metro station, Dmytro Sariskyi, a young adult, said that Russia had been trying to control Ukraine politically and territorially over many years. It conceded very little in the Trump agreement 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 it would be compelled to sacrifice its liberties, he added. If it didn’t, the US might cease collaboration and intelligence exchange, a crucial source of battlefield information for frontline Ukrainian troops. "There is no good way out of this for now," he noted.

Diverse Viewpoints from the Public

A different commuter, teenager Barchan, asserted that Ukraine would remain resilient lacking US backing. We will continue our struggle as needed. Our territory will remain our territory, including Crimea and the east. They are Ukrainian land." She said Zelenskyy was a "smart person" and predicted he would not cede territory.

While speaking in the rain, near a historical monument, Ivanovna mentioned her appreciation to Trump for his attempts to broker peace. She suggested that the nation should be ready to give away Crimea and the eastern Donbas region temporarily if it meant keeping America as a partner. The president should conduct a public vote on this matter, she proposed.

EU Officials Condemn the Proposal

Former European heads of state have strongly criticized this proposal. Finland’s former prime minister Marin called it a catastrophe, affecting not just Ukraine but for "all of the democratic world". She warned if the west showed weakness and ignorance – as it did in 2014 when Putin annexed Crimea – further hostilities could arise.

The former prime minister of Belgium, Verhofstadt, quoted Churchill’s definition regarding appeasement as someone who accommodates an aggressor. He continued: Trump aligns with Putin. Europe must choose again: appeasement or our values, imperialism or freedom. A critical juncture for the European Union."