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Former President Trump indicated on Saturday that the Russian-prepared peace plan constituted "not my final offer", following strong reaction from Ukrainian leaders and analysts who compared it to a Munich pact of 1938 involving Neville Chamberlain and Hitler.

In short comments at the White House, Trump informed journalists: Our goal is to achieve peace. It should’ve happened a long time ago … we are attempting to conclude it, in any case it must be resolved."

Forthcoming Switzerland Negotiations Involve Various Countries

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

Ahead of these discussions, American lawmakers informed media outlets that Secretary of State Rubio reached out to them during his travel to Geneva for clarification on the nature of the leaked plan. He said, this plan did not originate from the administration but rather 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 given Volodymyr Zelenskyy a deadline of Thursday to sign the 28-point document. It calls on Ukraine to cede land it currently controls to Moscow, reduce the size of its army, and relinquish long-range weapons. It also excludes a European peacekeeping force and sanctions for Russian war crimes.

In a sombre speech on Friday, Zelenskyy warned that his country faces a difficult decision over the coming days between keeping the nation's honor and losing a major partner like the United States. He admitted that it faces one of the most difficult moments historically.

Ukrainian Negotiating Delegation Formed for Upcoming Talks

In comments this weekend, the president said that real or respectable peace depends on "guaranteed security and justice". He announced a delegation, established by presidential decree, which will meet its US counterparts in Switzerland, headed by top aide Yermak.

A additional delegate of the Ukrainian delegation, former defence minister and national security council secretary Rustem Umerov, stated there would be consultations with the US regarding potential terms for a peace deal.

Suggesting red lines, he noted: 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."

International Response and Concerns

The Ukrainian president has attempted to participate positively with a White House seemingly determined to resolve the war based on Russian conditions. He has emphasized that he will not surrender Ukraine’s sovereignty or disregard a constitution that enshrines the country’s current borders.

During a summit in South Africa, G20 leaders and EU representatives released a collective declaration opposing the proposed deal, stating it requires "additional work". It said that members of the EU and NATO would need to be consulted on some of its provisions, which rule out Ukraine's NATO accession and impose terms on its European Union membership.

Public Opinion in Kyiv

Responses from Ukrainians to the text, drawn up by Putin’s envoy and Trump’s representative, have been largely negative. Commentators argued it outlined a plan for further Russian aggression: targeting not just Ukraine but of other parts of Europe too.

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

In a Facebook post, he said he was outraged by its "full" amnesty for Russian war crimes. It was an insult those who sought shelter in affected cities – sites of civilian executions – and families of deported children to Russia. "A rather cynical agreement," he stated.

In an interview in Kyiv’s Golden Gate metro station, Sariskyi, 21, commented that Russia has attempted to dominate Ukraine over many years. It conceded very little in the proposed deal and maintained troops in Ukraine. In my view, this deal aims to undermine Ukraine and impose unfair terms, he said.

Should Ukraine accept the terms Kyiv would be forced to sacrifice its liberties, he added. If rejected, the US might cease collaboration and intelligence exchange, a vital resource of military intelligence for Ukraine's forces. Currently, there is no favorable solution, he remarked.

Diverse Perspectives from Ukrainian Citizens

Another passenger, 19-year-old Barchan, asserted that Ukraine would remain resilient without American support. We will continue our struggle as needed. Crimea and the eastern regions are part of Ukraine. They are Ukrainian land." She said that the president is intelligent and forecasted he would not cede territory.

Speaking during rainfall, next to a replica of Kyiv’s original medieval gate, Ivanovna said 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 ensured maintaining US support. "President Zelenskyy should hold a referendum and ask the people," she said.

European Officials Condemn the Plan

Former European heads of state have roundly condemned this proposal. Finland’s former prime minister Sanna Marin called it a disaster, not only for Ukraine and Ukrainians but for democracies worldwide. She said if the west showed weakness and ignorance – similar to the 2014 Crimea annexation – further hostilities could arise.

The former prime minister of Belgium, Verhofstadt, referenced Churchill’s definition of an appeaser 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."