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Ex-leader Trump stated this past weekend that his Russian-prepared peace plan constituted not his ultimate proposal, following strong backlash from Ukraine's officials and commentators who likened it to the Munich pact of 1938 between Neville Chamberlain and Hitler.

During brief comments from the White House, Trump told 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 Negotiations Involve Various Countries

Ukrainian and American delegates will meet in Geneva on Sunday to discuss the plan. Security officials from Germany, France, and the UK are expected to join the talks there.

Ahead of these discussions, American lawmakers informed media outlets that State Department head Rubio contacted them while en route to Geneva 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", according to Senator King, a member on the Senate Foreign Relations Committee.

Ukraine's President Faces Critical Time Limit

However, the former president has given Zelenskyy a deadline of Thursday for signing this multi-point agreement. It calls on Ukraine to give up land it currently controls to Russia, downsize the size of its army, and relinquish advanced weaponry. It also excludes international peacekeepers and penalties for atrocities committed by Russia.

During a solemn address last Friday, Zelenskyy warned that his country confronts a difficult decision over the coming days involving keeping the nation's honor and losing key ally like the United States. Zelenskyy acknowledged that it faces an extremely challenging period historically.

Ukraine's Dialogue Delegation Appointed for Geneva Talks

Speaking this weekend, Zelenskyy emphasized that genuine or "dignified" peace depends on assured safety and fairness. He announced a delegation, appointed through a decree, which will meet American representatives in Switzerland, headed by his chief of staff Andriy Yermak.

A additional delegate from Ukraine's team, ex-defense head and security council official Umerov, stated they will hold discussions with Washington regarding potential terms for a peace deal.

Hinting at limits, Umerov added: "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

The Ukrainian president has sought to participate positively with the US administration apparently intent to resolve the war based on Russian conditions. He has made clear that he will not surrender the nation's independence or abandon a constitution that enshrines the country’s current borders.

During a summit held in South Africa, leaders from the G20 and the European Council released a collective declaration opposing Trump’s plan, stating it requires further refinement. The statement indicated that members of the EU and NATO must be involved regarding certain clauses, that exclude Ukraine's NATO accession and put conditions on its European Union membership.

Public Views in Kyiv

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 another Russian invasion: not only of Ukraine but of other parts of Europe too.

Mustafa Nayyem, a public figure involved in Ukraine’s 2014 pro-democracy Maidan revolution, remarked it drew comparisons 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, 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 for those whose children had been forcibly deported to Russian territory. "A rather cynical agreement," he concluded.

Speaking in a Kyiv subway station, Sariskyi, 21, said that Russia has attempted to control Ukraine politically and territorially over many years. The agreement offered very little in the proposed deal and continued to keep its forces on Ukrainian soil. In my view, this deal aims to undermine Ukraine and impose unfair terms, he remarked.

If Zelenskyy signed off on the proposals Kyiv would be forced to give up its freedoms, he said. If rejected, the US might cease collaboration and intelligence exchange, a crucial source of battlefield information for Ukraine's forces. "There is no good way out of this for now," he noted.

Varied Viewpoints from the Public

Another passenger, teenager Sofia Barchan, said that the country would "keep strong" lacking US backing. We will continue our struggle as needed. Our territory will remain our territory, including Crimea and the east. It belongs to Ukraine." She said that the president is intelligent and predicted he would not give up Ukrainian land.

While speaking during rainfall, next to a replica of Kyiv’s original medieval gate, Olena Ivanovna mentioned her appreciation to Trump for his attempts to broker peace. She said that the nation ought to consider ceding certain regions for a limited time if it ensured maintaining US support. "President Zelenskyy should hold a referendum and ask the people," she proposed.

European Officials Condemn the Plan

Previous European leaders have strongly criticized this proposal. Ex-PM of Finland Sanna Marin called it a catastrophe, affecting not just Ukraine but for "all of the democratic world". She said if the west showed weakness and ignorance – similar to the 2014 Crimea annexation – "more aggression and conflicts" could arise.

The former prime minister of Belgium, Verhofstadt, quoted 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. A critical juncture for the European Union."