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Former President Donald Trump stated on Saturday that his Russian-prepared proposal for peace was not his ultimate proposal, after strong backlash from Ukraine's officials and commentators who likened it to the Munich pact of 1938 involving Chamberlain and Adolf Hitler.

In short remarks from the White House, the US president informed journalists: Our goal is to achieve peace. This should have occurred earlier … we are attempting to conclude it, one way or the other we have to get it ended."

Upcoming Switzerland Negotiations Involve Multiple Nations

Ukrainian and American officials are scheduled to meet in Geneva on Sunday to discuss the plan. Security officials from France, Britain and Germany will also participate in the talks in Geneva.

Ahead of these discussions, US senators informed the press that State Department head Marco Rubio contacted them during his travel to Geneva to clarify the details of the leaked plan. According to him, the proposal did not originate from the administration but rather reflected Russian desires, as reported by independent Maine senator Angus King, a member on the Foreign Relations Committee.

Zelenskyy Confronts Crucial Deadline

However, the former president has set Zelenskyy until Thursday for signing the 28-point document. The document requires Ukraine to cede land it currently controls to Russia, reduce the size of its army, and relinquish long-range weapons. It also rules out a European peacekeeping force and sanctions for Russian war crimes.

In a sombre speech on Friday, Zelenskyy cautioned that his country confronts an impossible choice over the coming days involving keeping the nation's honor and losing key ally like the United States. He admitted that it faces one of the most difficult moments historically.

Ukraine's Negotiating Delegation Formed for Geneva Talks

Speaking on Saturday, the president said that genuine or "dignified" peace was always based on "guaranteed security and justice". He revealed a negotiating team, appointed through a decree, that would soon meet American representatives in Geneva, headed by top aide Andriy Yermak.

Another member of the Ukrainian delegation, former defence minister and national security council secretary Rustem Umerov, said they will hold consultations with Washington "on the possible parameters of a future peace agreement".

Suggesting limits, Umerov added: 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."

Global Reaction and Concerns

Zelenskyy has attempted to engage constructively with a White House apparently intent to end the conflict on the Kremlin’s one-sided terms. He has made clear that he will not surrender Ukraine’s sovereignty or disregard the constitutional framework that enshrines the country’s current borders.

During a summit held in South Africa, G20 leaders and EU representatives released a collective declaration pushing back on the proposed deal, saying it needs further refinement. It said that EU and Nato members would need to be consulted on some of its provisions, which rule out Kyiv’s Nato membership and impose terms on its future EU accession.

Public Views in Kyiv

Responses from Ukrainians to the proposal, prepared by a Russian representative and a US delegate, has been overwhelmingly hostile. Analysts said it outlined a plan for further Russian aggression: targeting not just Ukraine but of other parts of Europe as well.

Mustafa Nayyem, a journalist and politician involved in Ukraine’s 2014 pro-democracy Maidan revolution, remarked it drew comparisons with Chamberlain’s infamous Munich deal. Trumps’s peace plan came from a similar category, with the victim invited to outline its own surrender for broader convenience.

On social media, he said his anger by the complete pardon for Russian atrocities. It was an insult people who had hidden in basements in affected cities – where Russian troops executed hundreds of civilians – and for those whose children had been forcibly deported to Russian territory. "A rather cynical agreement," he stated.

In an interview in Kyiv’s Golden Gate metro station, Sariskyi, 21, said that Moscow had been trying to control Ukraine politically and territorially over many years. It conceded "barely anything" in the Trump agreement and maintained troops in Ukraine. "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 rejected, 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 noted.

Diverse Viewpoints from the Public

A different commuter, teenager Barchan, said that Ukraine would "keep strong" lacking US backing. We will continue our struggle as needed. Crimea and the eastern regions are part of Ukraine. It belongs to Ukraine." She said that the president is intelligent and forecasted he would not give up Ukrainian land.

While speaking in the rain, next to a replica of Kyiv’s original medieval gate, Ivanovna said her appreciation to Trump for his peace-making efforts. She suggested that the nation ought to consider ceding 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 Plan

Former European heads of state have strongly criticized this proposal. Ex-PM of Finland Sanna Marin called it a catastrophe, not only for Ukraine and Ukrainians but for "all of the democratic world". She said if the west showed weakness and ignorance – similar to the 2014 Crimea annexation – "more aggression and conflicts" could arise.

The former prime minister of Belgium, Guy 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."