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Former President Donald Trump indicated on Saturday that his Russian-prepared peace plan constituted "not my final offer", following strong backlash from Ukraine's leaders and commentators who compared it to a 1938 Munich agreement involving Neville Chamberlain and Hitler.

During short comments at the White House, Trump told reporters: Our goal is to achieve peace. It should’ve happened a long time ago … we are attempting to conclude it, in any case we have to get it ended."

Forthcoming Geneva Negotiations Include Multiple Countries

US and Ukrainian officials will meet in Geneva this Sunday for discussions on 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 Secretary of State Rubio contacted them during his travel to Geneva to clarify the details of this disclosed proposal. According to him, this plan "was not the administration’s plan" but instead reflected Russian desires, as reported by independent Maine senator King, a member on the Senate Foreign Relations Committee.

Ukraine's President Confronts Crucial Deadline

However, the former president has set Zelenskyy a deadline of Thursday to sign the 28-point document. It calls on Ukraine to give up land it currently controls to Russia, downsize its military forces, and surrender advanced weaponry. It also rules out a European peacekeeping force and penalties for Russian war crimes.

During a solemn speech last Friday, Zelenskyy cautioned that Ukraine confronts an impossible choice over the coming days between preserving the nation's honor and forfeiting a major partner in the shape of the US. Zelenskyy acknowledged that Ukraine is experiencing one of the most difficult moments in its history.

Ukraine's Negotiating Team Formed for Upcoming Meetings

In comments on Saturday, the president said that genuine or respectable resolution was always based on "guaranteed security and justice". He announced a delegation, established by presidential decree, that would soon meet American representatives in Switzerland, headed by his chief of staff Yermak.

A additional delegate from Ukraine's team, ex-defense head and security council official Umerov, said there would be consultations with the US "on the possible parameters of a future peace agreement".

Hinting at red lines, 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 Criticism

The Ukrainian president has sought to engage constructively with the US administration seemingly determined to end the conflict based on Russian conditions. He has made clear he cannot give up the nation's independence or abandon the constitutional framework that protects the country’s current borders.

At a meeting held in South Africa, G20 leaders and the European Council released a joint statement pushing back on the proposed deal, saying it requires further refinement. The statement indicated that members of the EU and NATO would need to be consulted regarding certain clauses, that exclude Ukraine's NATO accession and impose terms on its European Union membership.

Public Opinion in Ukraine's Capital

Responses from Ukrainians to the proposal, prepared by Putin’s envoy and Trump’s representative, have been largely negative. Commentators said it was a blueprint for another Russian invasion: not only of Ukraine but other European regions as well.

Nayyem, a public figure who led Ukraine’s 2014 pro-democracy Maidan revolution, said it invited parallels with Chamberlain’s infamous Munich deal. The proposal 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 said he was outraged by the complete pardon for Russian atrocities. This offended those who sought shelter in affected cities – where Russian troops executed hundreds of civilians – and for those whose children had been forcibly deported to Russia. A deeply cynical deal, he stated.

Speaking in Kyiv’s Golden Gate metro station, Dmytro Sariskyi, a young adult, commented that Moscow has attempted to dominate Ukraine "for years". It conceded "barely anything" in the Trump agreement and continued to keep troops in Ukraine. "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 sacrifice its liberties, he said. If rejected, the US might cease collaboration and intelligence exchange, a crucial source of battlefield information for Ukraine's forces. "There is no good way out of this for now," he remarked.

Diverse Viewpoints from the Public

A different commuter, 19-year-old Barchan, asserted that Ukraine would "keep strong" lacking US backing. "We will fight for as long as it takes. Our territory will remain our territory, including Crimea and the east. They are Ukrainian land." She said Zelenskyy was a "smart person" and predicted he would not cede territory.

While speaking in the rain, next to a replica of Kyiv’s original medieval gate, 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 keeping America as a partner. The president should conduct a public vote on this matter, she said.

European Officials Criticize the Plan

Previous European leaders have roundly condemned this proposal. Ex-PM of Finland Marin described it as a disaster, affecting not just Ukraine but for democracies worldwide. She warned if Western nations display vulnerability – as it did in 2014 when Putin annexed Crimea – "more aggression and conflicts" would follow.

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