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Ex-leader Trump stated on Saturday that his Moscow-drafted proposal for peace constituted "not my final offer", following intense reaction from Ukrainian officials and analysts that compared it to the 1938 Munich agreement between Neville Chamberlain and Hitler.

During brief remarks from the White House, the US president told reporters: "We’d like to get to peace. This should have occurred earlier … we’re trying to get it ended, one way or the other we have to get it ended."

Upcoming Geneva Negotiations Involve Various Countries

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

Prior to these discussions, US senators told the press that Secretary of State Marco Rubio contacted them while en route to Switzerland for clarification on the nature of this disclosed proposal. He said, the proposal did not originate from the administration but rather a "wish list of the Russians", according to independent Maine senator King, who serves on the Senate Foreign Relations Committee.

Ukraine's President Faces Critical Time Limit

Nevertheless, the former president has given Zelenskyy until Thursday for signing this multi-point agreement. The document requires Ukraine to cede territory it currently controls to Russia, reduce its military forces, and surrender advanced weaponry. Additionally, it rules out a European peacekeeping force and penalties for Russian war crimes.

In a sombre speech last Friday, the Ukrainian leader cautioned that his country confronts a difficult decision in the near future involving preserving its national dignity and losing key ally like the United States. Zelenskyy acknowledged that Ukraine is experiencing one of the most difficult moments historically.

Ukrainian Negotiating Team Formed for Upcoming Talks

In comments on Saturday, the president said that real or "dignified" peace depends on "guaranteed security and justice". He announced a negotiating team, appointed through a decree, that would soon meet American representatives in Geneva, headed by top aide Yermak.

A additional delegate of the Ukrainian delegation, former defence minister and security council official Umerov, stated they will hold consultations with the US "on the possible parameters of a future peace agreement".

Suggesting red lines, he added: Ukraine enters these talks with defined goals. This represents a continuation of recent discussions focused on harmonizing our plans for future actions."

International Reaction and Criticism

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 Ukraine’s sovereignty or disregard the constitutional framework that protects the country’s current borders.

During a summit held in South Africa, leaders from the G20 and the European Council issued a collective declaration opposing Trump’s plan, stating it requires "additional work". It said that members of the EU and NATO would need to be consulted on some of its provisions, that exclude Kyiv’s Nato membership and put conditions on its future EU accession.

Citizen Views in Ukraine's Capital

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

Nayyem, a journalist and politician involved in Ukraine’s 2014 pro-democracy Maidan revolution, said it drew comparisons with the Munich Agreement. The proposal came from the same "recognisable genre", with the victim invited to outline its own surrender for broader convenience.

On social media, he expressed his anger by the complete pardon for Russian atrocities. It was an insult people who had hidden in basements in Bucha or Mariupol – 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, Dmytro Sariskyi, a young adult, said that Moscow 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. "I think the deal is an attempt to break Ukraine and force unjust conditions on us," he remarked.

If Zelenskyy signed off on the proposals it would be compelled to give up its freedoms, he said. If it didn’t, the US would most likely break off cooperation and intelligence sharing, a vital resource of military intelligence for Ukraine's forces. Currently, there is no favorable solution, he noted.

Diverse Viewpoints from Ukrainian Citizens

Another passenger, teenager Sofia Barchan, said that Ukraine would remain resilient without American support. "We will fight for as long as it takes. Crimea and the eastern regions are part of Ukraine. It belongs to Ukraine." She expressed 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, Olena Ivanovna said her appreciation to Trump for his attempts to broker peace. She said that the nation ought to consider to give away certain regions for a limited time if it meant maintaining US support. "President Zelenskyy should hold a referendum and ask the people," she said.

EU Officials Criticize the Plan

Previous European leaders have strongly criticized this proposal. Finland’s former prime minister Marin described it as a disaster, not only for Ukraine and Ukrainians but for democracies worldwide. She warned if Western nations display vulnerability – similar to the 2014 Crimea annexation – further hostilities would follow.

The former prime minister of Belgium, Guy Verhofstadt, quoted Churchill’s definition regarding appeasement as someone who accommodates an aggressor. He continued: "Trump now takes Putin’s side. Europe faces a choice between compromise and principles. Another moment of truth for our [European] union."