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Former President Trump indicated this past weekend that the Moscow-drafted proposal for peace was "not my final offer", after fierce reaction from Ukrainian officials and analysts who likened it to a Munich pact of 1938 involving Chamberlain and Hitler.

During brief remarks at the White House, the US president informed 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 it must be resolved."

Upcoming Geneva Negotiations Involve Multiple Countries

US and Ukrainian delegates are scheduled to meet in Geneva on Sunday to discuss this proposal. Security officials from France, Britain and Germany are expected to join these negotiations in Geneva.

Ahead of the talks, American lawmakers informed the press that State Department head Marco Rubio contacted them during his travel to Geneva for clarification on the details of this disclosed proposal. According to him, the proposal "was not the administration’s plan" but instead reflected Russian desires, as reported by Senator King, a member on the Senate Foreign Relations Committee.

Ukraine's President Faces Crucial Time Limit

Nevertheless, Trump has set Volodymyr Zelenskyy until Thursday to sign the 28-point document. The document requires Ukraine to cede territory it currently controls to Moscow, reduce the size of its army, and relinquish long-range weapons. Additionally, it excludes international peacekeepers and penalties for Russian war crimes.

In a sombre address on Friday, Zelenskyy cautioned that his country faces a difficult decision in the near future between preserving its national dignity and losing key ally like the United States. Zelenskyy acknowledged that it faces an extremely challenging period historically.

Ukrainian Negotiating Delegation Appointed for Geneva Meetings

Speaking this weekend, Zelenskyy emphasized that real or respectable resolution was always based on assured safety and fairness. He announced a delegation, appointed through a decree, which will meet American representatives in Switzerland, headed by his chief of staff Yermak.

Another member of the Ukrainian delegation, former defence minister and security council official Rustem Umerov, said they will hold discussions with the US regarding potential terms for a peace deal.

Hinting at red lines, Umerov noted: 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 Concerns

Zelenskyy has sought to engage constructively with the US administration seemingly determined to end the conflict on the Kremlin’s one-sided terms. He has made clear that he will not surrender the nation's independence or disregard a constitution that enshrines the country’s current borders.

During a summit held in South Africa, leaders from the G20 and EU representatives issued a collective declaration pushing back on Trump’s plan, saying it needs "additional work". The statement indicated that EU and Nato members would need to be consulted regarding certain clauses, which rule out Kyiv’s Nato membership and impose terms on its European Union membership.

Citizen Opinion in Kyiv

Ukrainian reaction to the text, drawn up by Putin’s envoy and a US delegate, has been overwhelmingly hostile. Commentators argued it outlined a plan for another Russian invasion: not only of Ukraine but of other parts of Europe too.

Mustafa Nayyem, a public figure who led the 2014 Maidan protests, remarked it invited parallels with Chamberlain’s infamous Munich deal. The proposal came from the same "recognisable genre", with the victim invited to outline its own surrender for broader convenience.

On social media, Nayyem expressed his anger 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 for those whose children had been forcibly deported to Russia. A deeply cynical deal, he stated.

In an interview in Kyiv’s Golden Gate metro station, Dmytro Sariskyi, 21, commented that Moscow has attempted to control Ukraine politically and territorially over many years. The agreement offered very little 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 said.

If Zelenskyy signed off on the proposals it would be compelled to sacrifice its liberties, he added. If it didn’t, the US would most likely break off cooperation and intelligence sharing, a vital resource of military intelligence for frontline Ukrainian troops. "There is no good way out of this for now," he remarked.

Diverse Perspectives from Ukrainian Citizens

A different commuter, teenager Barchan, said that the country would "keep strong" lacking US backing. We will continue our struggle as needed. Our territory will remain our territory, including Crimea and the east. They are Ukrainian land." She said Zelenskyy was a "smart person" and forecasted he would not cede territory.

While speaking during rainfall, near a historical monument, Ivanovna said her appreciation to Trump for his peace-making efforts. She said that the nation ought to consider ceding Crimea and the eastern Donbas region for a limited time if it ensured keeping America as a partner. "President Zelenskyy should hold a referendum and ask the people," she proposed.

EU Officials Criticize the Plan

Former European heads of state have strongly criticized the plan. Ex-PM of Finland Marin called it a disaster, affecting not just Ukraine but for "all of the democratic world". She said 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 "one who feeds a crocodile, hoping it will eat him last". He added: "Trump now takes Putin’s side. Europe faces a choice between compromise and principles. Another moment of truth for our [European] union."