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Ex-leader Donald Trump stated on Saturday that his Moscow-drafted proposal for peace constituted not his ultimate proposal, following fierce reaction from Ukraine's leaders and commentators that likened it to the Munich pact of 1938 involving Chamberlain and Adolf Hitler.

In short comments from the White House, the US president informed reporters: "We’d like to get to peace. It should’ve happened a long time ago … we’re trying to get it ended, in any case it must be resolved."

Forthcoming Geneva Negotiations Include Various Nations

Ukrainian and American delegates will meet in Geneva this Sunday to discuss the plan. Defense representatives from France, Britain and Germany are expected to join the talks in Geneva.

Ahead of these discussions, American lawmakers informed the press that State Department head Marco Rubio contacted them while en route to Geneva to clarify the details of the leaked plan. According to him, the proposal did not originate from the administration but rather a "wish list of the Russians", as reported by independent Maine senator Angus King, who serves on the Foreign Relations Committee.

Zelenskyy Confronts Critical Time Limit

However, Trump has given Volodymyr Zelenskyy until Thursday to sign this multi-point agreement. The document requires Ukraine to give up land it currently controls to Russia, reduce its military forces, and relinquish long-range weapons. It also excludes international peacekeepers and penalties for Russian war crimes.

During a solemn speech last Friday, Zelenskyy warned that his country confronts a difficult decision in the near future between preserving its national dignity and forfeiting a major partner in the shape of the US. Zelenskyy acknowledged that Ukraine is experiencing one of the most difficult moments in its history.

Ukraine's Dialogue Team Appointed for Geneva Talks

Speaking this weekend, Zelenskyy emphasized that real or respectable resolution was always based on "guaranteed security and justice". He announced a negotiating team, established by presidential decree, which will meet American representatives in Geneva, headed by top aide Andriy Yermak.

A additional delegate of the Ukrainian delegation, former defence minister and security council official Umerov, said there would be discussions with Washington "on the possible parameters of a future peace agreement".

Suggesting limits, he 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."

International Response and Concerns

Zelenskyy has attempted to engage constructively with a White House apparently intent to end the conflict based on Russian conditions. He has emphasized he cannot give up Ukraine’s sovereignty or disregard the constitutional framework that protects the country’s current borders.

At a meeting held in South Africa, G20 leaders and EU representatives issued a collective declaration pushing back on Trump’s plan, stating it needs "additional work". It said that members of the EU and NATO would need to be consulted regarding certain clauses, that exclude Ukraine's NATO accession and impose terms on its European Union membership.

Public Views in Kyiv

Ukrainian reaction to the text, prepared by Putin’s envoy and a US delegate, have been largely negative. Analysts said it was a blueprint for further Russian aggression: not only of Ukraine but of other parts of Europe too.

Nayyem, a public figure involved in the 2014 Maidan protests, said it drew comparisons with the Munich Agreement. The proposal 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 he was outraged 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 Russia. "A rather cynical agreement," he concluded.

Speaking in Kyiv’s Golden Gate metro station, Sariskyi, a young adult, said that Russia has attempted to control Ukraine politically and territorially "for 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 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 military intelligence for Ukraine's forces. "There is no good way out of this for now," he remarked.

Varied Perspectives from the Public

Another passenger, teenager Sofia Barchan, said that the country 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 expressed Zelenskyy was a "smart person" and forecasted he would not cede territory.

Speaking in the rain, near a historical monument, Olena Ivanovna said her appreciation to Trump for his peace-making efforts. She said that Ukraine ought to consider to give away Crimea and the eastern Donbas region temporarily if it ensured keeping America as a partner. "President Zelenskyy should hold a referendum and ask the people," she proposed.

EU Officials Criticize the Proposal

Former European heads of state have roundly condemned this proposal. Finland’s former prime minister Sanna Marin described it as a catastrophe, affecting not just Ukraine but for "all of the democratic world". She said if Western nations display vulnerability – similar to the 2014 Crimea annexation – further hostilities would follow.

Belgium's ex-PM, Verhofstadt, referenced a statement by Churchill regarding appeasement as someone who accommodates an aggressor. He added: "Trump now takes Putin’s side. Europe must choose again: appeasement or our values, imperialism or freedom. A critical juncture for the European Union."