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Former President Trump indicated this past weekend that the Moscow-drafted proposal for peace was "not my final offer", after strong backlash from Ukraine's leaders and commentators that compared it to the Munich pact of 1938 involving Neville Chamberlain and Hitler.

In brief remarks at the White House, the US president told journalists: Our goal is to achieve peace. This should have occurred earlier … we’re trying to get it ended, one way or the other it must be resolved."

Forthcoming Switzerland Talks Include Various Nations

US and Ukrainian delegates will meet in Switzerland this Sunday to discuss this proposal. Security officials from Germany, France, and the UK are expected to join these negotiations in Geneva.

Prior to these discussions, US senators told media outlets that Secretary of State Rubio reached out to them during his travel to Switzerland to clarify the nature of this disclosed proposal. He said, this plan "was not the administration’s plan" but instead a "wish list of the Russians", according to Senator King, who serves on the Senate Foreign Relations Committee.

Ukraine's President Faces Critical Time Limit

Nevertheless, the former president has set Volodymyr Zelenskyy a deadline of Thursday for signing this multi-point agreement. The document requires Ukraine to cede territory it currently controls to Russia, downsize the size of its army, and surrender advanced weaponry. It also rules out international peacekeepers and sanctions for Russian war crimes.

During a solemn speech on Friday, Zelenskyy cautioned that his country faces an impossible choice over the coming days involving keeping its national dignity and forfeiting a major partner in the shape of the US. He admitted that it faces an extremely challenging period historically.

Ukrainian Negotiating Delegation Formed for Upcoming Meetings

Speaking this weekend, Zelenskyy emphasized that real or respectable resolution was always based on "guaranteed security and justice". He announced a delegation, established by presidential decree, which will meet American representatives in Switzerland, led by top aide Yermak.

A additional delegate of the Ukrainian delegation, ex-defense head and national security council secretary Umerov, stated they will hold discussions with Washington regarding potential terms for a peace deal.

Suggesting limits, 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 Reaction and Criticism

The Ukrainian president has sought to participate positively with a White House seemingly determined to end the conflict based on Russian conditions. He has emphasized that he will not surrender the nation's independence or abandon a constitution that enshrines Ukraine's territorial integrity.

During a summit in South Africa, G20 leaders and EU representatives issued a joint statement pushing back on Trump’s plan, stating it requires further refinement. It said that members of the EU and NATO must be involved on some of its provisions, which rule out Kyiv’s Nato membership and impose terms on its future EU accession.

Citizen Opinion in Ukraine's Capital

Ukrainian reaction to the text, prepared by a Russian representative and a US delegate, have been largely negative. Analysts said it outlined a plan for another Russian invasion: 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 belonged to the same "recognisable genre", where the affected party is asked to outline its own surrender for broader convenience.

On social media, Nayyem expressed he was outraged 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 deeply cynical deal, he concluded.

In an interview in a Kyiv subway station, Sariskyi, a young adult, commented that Moscow had been trying to control Ukraine politically and territorially over many years. The agreement offered very little in the Trump agreement and continued to keep troops in Ukraine. In my view, this deal aims to undermine Ukraine and impose unfair terms, he said.

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 crucial source of battlefield information for Ukraine's forces. Currently, there is no favorable solution, he noted.

Varied Perspectives from Ukrainian Citizens

Another passenger, teenager Sofia Barchan, asserted that Ukraine would "keep strong" without American support. We will continue our struggle as needed. Crimea and the eastern regions are part of Ukraine. They are Ukrainian land." She expressed that the president is intelligent and predicted he would not give up Ukrainian land.

Speaking during rainfall, next to a replica of Kyiv’s original medieval gate, Olena Ivanovna mentioned she was grateful to Trump for his attempts to broker peace. She said that the nation ought to consider to give away Crimea and the eastern Donbas region temporarily if it ensured keeping America as a partner. The president should conduct a public vote on this matter, she said.

EU Officials Criticize the Proposal

Former European heads of state have strongly criticized this proposal. Ex-PM of Finland Sanna Marin described it as a catastrophe, 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 – "more aggression and conflicts" could arise.

Belgium's ex-PM, Verhofstadt, referenced a statement by Churchill of an appeaser 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."