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Former President Trump remarked on Saturday that the Russian-prepared proposal for peace was not his ultimate proposal, after fierce backlash from Ukraine's leaders and commentators that compared it to the 1938 Munich agreement between Neville Chamberlain and Adolf Hitler.

During short comments from the White House, the US president informed reporters: "We’d like to get to peace. This should have occurred earlier … we are attempting to conclude it, in any case we have to get it ended."

Forthcoming Geneva Talks Involve Multiple Countries

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

Ahead of the talks, American lawmakers informed the press that State Department head Marco Rubio contacted them while en route to Switzerland to clarify the nature of the leaked plan. According to him, this plan "was not the administration’s plan" but instead a "wish list of the Russians", as reported by Senator King, a member on the Foreign Relations Committee.

Ukraine's President Faces Crucial Time Limit

Nevertheless, the former president has set Zelenskyy until Thursday to sign this multi-point agreement. The document requires Ukraine to give up territory under its control to Moscow, reduce its military forces, and relinquish long-range weapons. Additionally, it excludes a European peacekeeping force and sanctions for atrocities committed by Russia.

During a solemn speech last Friday, Zelenskyy cautioned that Ukraine confronts an impossible choice in the near future involving keeping the nation's honor and forfeiting key ally like the United States. He admitted that it faces an extremely challenging period in its history.

Ukrainian Negotiating Team Appointed for Upcoming Talks

In comments on Saturday, the president emphasized that genuine or respectable resolution was always based on "guaranteed security and justice". He announced a negotiating team, appointed through a decree, that would soon meet American representatives in Geneva, led by top aide Andriy Yermak.

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

Hinting at red lines, 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."

Global Response and Criticism

The Ukrainian president has sought to engage constructively with the US administration apparently intent to end the conflict based on Russian conditions. He has made clear he cannot give up the nation's independence or abandon a constitution that protects Ukraine's territorial integrity.

At a meeting in South Africa, G20 leaders and EU representatives issued a collective declaration pushing back on the proposed deal, saying it needs further refinement. It said that members of the EU and NATO would need to be consulted regarding certain clauses, that exclude Kyiv’s Nato membership and put conditions on its European Union membership.

Public Opinion in Ukraine's Capital

Ukrainian reaction to the text, drawn up by Putin’s envoy and Trump’s representative, has been overwhelmingly hostile. Commentators said it was a blueprint for further Russian aggression: targeting not just Ukraine but of other parts of Europe as well.

Nayyem, a journalist and politician involved in the 2014 Maidan protests, said it drew comparisons with Chamberlain’s infamous Munich deal. The proposal came from the same "recognisable genre", with the victim invited to outline its own surrender for broader convenience.

On social media, Nayyem said his anger by its "full" amnesty for Russian war crimes. This offended those who sought shelter in affected cities – sites of civilian executions – and for those whose children had been forcibly deported to Russian territory. "A rather cynical agreement," he stated.

Speaking in Kyiv’s Golden Gate metro station, Sariskyi, 21, commented that Moscow has attempted 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 said. If rejected, the US might cease collaboration and intelligence exchange, a vital resource of military intelligence for frontline Ukrainian troops. Currently, there is no favorable solution, he noted.

Diverse Viewpoints from the Public

A different commuter, 19-year-old Barchan, said that the country would "keep strong" lacking US backing. "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.

While speaking in the rain, next to a replica of Kyiv’s original medieval gate, Olena Ivanovna said her appreciation to the former US leader for his attempts to broker peace. She suggested that Ukraine ought to consider to give away Crimea and the eastern Donbas region for a limited time if it meant keeping America as a partner. The president should conduct a public vote on this matter, she said.

EU Officials Criticize the Plan

Former European heads of state have strongly criticized the plan. Ex-PM of Finland 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 could arise.

The former prime minister of Belgium, Verhofstadt, referenced a statement by Churchill 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. Another moment of truth for our [European] union."