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

During short remarks at the White House, Trump told journalists: "We’d like to get to peace. This should have occurred earlier … we’re trying to get it ended, in any case it must be resolved."

Upcoming Geneva Negotiations Include Multiple Countries

Ukrainian and American delegates will meet in Geneva this Sunday for discussions on the plan. Defense representatives from Germany, France, and the UK are expected to join the talks there.

Ahead of the talks, US senators told media outlets that State Department head Marco Rubio contacted them while en route to Switzerland to clarify the nature of the leaked plan. He said, this plan "was not the administration’s plan" but instead reflected Russian desires, as reported by independent Maine senator King, who serves on the Foreign Relations Committee.

Zelenskyy Faces Critical Time Limit

However, the former president has set Zelenskyy until Thursday for signing this multi-point agreement. It calls on Kyiv to cede land it currently controls to Russia, reduce the size of its army, and relinquish long-range weapons. Additionally, it excludes a European peacekeeping force and penalties for Russian war crimes.

In a sombre address last Friday, the Ukrainian leader cautioned that Ukraine faces an impossible choice in the near future between preserving the nation's honor and forfeiting a major partner like the United States. He admitted that it faces an extremely challenging period in its history.

Ukraine's Dialogue Team Formed 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 through a decree, that would soon meet its US counterparts in Switzerland, led by top aide Andriy Yermak.

Another member from Ukraine's team, former defence minister and national security council secretary Umerov, said they will hold consultations with Washington "on the possible parameters of a future peace agreement".

Suggesting red lines, he noted: "Ukraine approaches this process with a clear understanding of its interests. This represents a continuation of recent discussions focused on harmonizing our plans for future actions."

International Reaction and Concerns

The Ukrainian president has sought to engage constructively with a White House seemingly determined to resolve the war based on Russian conditions. He has made clear that he will not surrender Ukraine’s sovereignty or disregard a constitution that enshrines Ukraine's territorial integrity.

At a meeting held in South Africa, G20 leaders and EU representatives issued a joint statement opposing the proposed deal, saying it needs 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 Opinion in Ukraine's Capital

Responses from Ukrainians to the proposal, drawn up by Putin’s envoy and a US delegate, has been overwhelmingly hostile. Commentators argued it was a blueprint for another Russian invasion: targeting not just Ukraine but other European regions too.

Nayyem, a journalist and politician who led the 2014 Maidan protests, said it drew comparisons with the Munich Agreement. Trumps’s peace plan came from the same "recognisable genre", where the affected party is asked to outline its own surrender for broader convenience.

In a Facebook post, he expressed he was outraged by the complete pardon for Russian atrocities. This offended people who had hidden in basements in Bucha or Mariupol – where Russian troops executed hundreds of civilians – and families of deported children to Russian territory. A deeply cynical deal, he concluded.

Speaking in a Kyiv subway station, Dmytro Sariskyi, 21, said that Moscow had been trying to control Ukraine politically and territorially over many years. It conceded very little in the Trump agreement and continued to keep its forces on Ukrainian soil. "I think the deal is an attempt to break Ukraine and force unjust conditions on us," 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 battlefield information for Ukraine's forces. Currently, there is no favorable solution, he remarked.

Varied Viewpoints from the Public

A different commuter, 19-year-old Barchan, said that Ukraine would "keep strong" without American support. 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 forecasted he would not cede territory.

While speaking during rainfall, near a historical monument, Olena Ivanovna mentioned her appreciation to Trump for his attempts to broker peace. She said that Ukraine ought to consider ceding Crimea and the eastern Donbas region for a limited time if it ensured maintaining US support. The president should conduct a public vote on this matter, she said.

EU Officials Condemn the Proposal

Previous European leaders have strongly criticized this proposal. Finland’s former prime minister Marin described it as a disaster, affecting not just Ukraine but for "all of the democratic world". She warned if the west showed weakness and ignorance – similar to the 2014 Crimea annexation – further hostilities would follow.

The former prime minister of Belgium, Verhofstadt, quoted a statement by Churchill regarding appeasement as someone who accommodates an aggressor. He continued: "Trump now takes Putin’s side. Europe must choose again: appeasement or our values, imperialism or freedom. A critical juncture for the European Union."