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Former President Trump remarked on Saturday that his Moscow-drafted proposal for peace was "not my final offer", following intense criticism from Ukraine's officials and commentators that compared it to a 1938 Munich agreement involving Neville Chamberlain and Hitler.

In brief comments from the White House, the US president told 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."

Upcoming Switzerland Negotiations Include Various Countries

Ukrainian and American officials are scheduled to meet in Switzerland on Sunday for discussions on the plan. Defense representatives from Germany, France, and the UK will also participate in the talks there.

Prior to these discussions, US senators told the press that State Department head Marco Rubio contacted them while en route to Switzerland for clarification on the details of this disclosed proposal. He said, this plan "was not the administration’s plan" but rather reflected Russian desires, as reported by Senator King, a member on the Senate Foreign Relations Committee.

Zelenskyy Faces Crucial Deadline

However, Trump has given Zelenskyy a deadline of Thursday to sign the 28-point document. It calls on Kyiv to cede land it currently controls to Russia, reduce its military forces, and relinquish advanced weaponry. Additionally, it excludes international peacekeepers and penalties for Russian war crimes.

During a solemn speech last Friday, the Ukrainian leader cautioned that his country faces an impossible choice over the coming days involving keeping its national dignity and losing a major partner in the shape of the US. He admitted that Ukraine is experiencing an extremely challenging period historically.

Ukrainian Dialogue Delegation Appointed for Geneva Meetings

In comments this weekend, Zelenskyy emphasized that real or "dignified" resolution depends on assured safety and fairness. He announced a delegation, appointed through a decree, that would soon meet its US counterparts in Switzerland, led by top aide Andriy Yermak.

A additional delegate from Ukraine's team, ex-defense head and security council official Rustem Umerov, said there would be consultations with the US "on the possible parameters of a future peace agreement".

Hinting at limits, Umerov added: Ukraine enters these talks with defined goals. This represents a continuation of recent discussions focused on harmonizing our plans for future actions."

Global Response and Concerns

Zelenskyy has sought to participate positively with a White House apparently intent to resolve the war based on Russian conditions. He has emphasized that he will not surrender Ukraine’s sovereignty or abandon the constitutional framework that protects the country’s current borders.

During a summit held in South Africa, G20 leaders and EU representatives released a joint statement pushing back on Trump’s plan, saying it needs "additional work". It said that EU and Nato members must be involved regarding certain clauses, which rule out Kyiv’s Nato membership and impose terms on its European Union membership.

Public Views in Kyiv

Ukrainian reaction to the proposal, prepared by Putin’s envoy and a US delegate, have been largely negative. Commentators argued it outlined a plan for another Russian invasion: targeting not just Ukraine but of other parts of Europe as well.

Nayyem, a public figure involved in the 2014 Maidan protests, remarked it drew comparisons with the Munich Agreement. Trumps’s peace plan came from the same "recognisable genre", with the victim invited "to formulate his own defeat so everyone else can live easier".

In a Facebook post, Nayyem said he was outraged by its "full" amnesty for Russian war crimes. This offended 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 stated.

Speaking in Kyiv’s Golden Gate metro station, Sariskyi, 21, commented that Russia has attempted to control Ukraine politically and territorially "for years". The agreement offered "barely anything" in the proposed deal and maintained its forces on Ukrainian soil. In my view, this deal aims to undermine Ukraine and impose unfair terms, he remarked.

Should Ukraine accept the terms it would be compelled to give up its freedoms, he said. If it didn’t, the US might cease collaboration and intelligence exchange, a crucial source of military intelligence for frontline Ukrainian troops. Currently, there is no favorable solution, he remarked.

Diverse Viewpoints from Ukrainian Citizens

A different commuter, 19-year-old Barchan, said that the country would remain resilient lacking US backing. "We will fight for as long as it takes. Crimea and the eastern regions are part of Ukraine. They are Ukrainian land." She expressed Zelenskyy was a "smart person" and forecasted he would not give up Ukrainian land.

While speaking in the rain, next to a replica of Kyiv’s original medieval gate, Olena Ivanovna mentioned she was grateful to Trump for his peace-making efforts. She suggested that the nation should be ready to give away certain regions for a limited time if it ensured keeping America as a partner. The president should conduct a public vote on this matter, she proposed.

European Officials Condemn the Proposal

Former European heads of state have roundly condemned the plan. Finland’s former prime minister Marin called it a disaster, affecting not just Ukraine but for "all of the democratic world". She warned if Western nations display vulnerability – as it did in 2014 when Putin annexed Crimea – further hostilities would follow.

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