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Former President Trump indicated on Saturday that the Moscow-drafted proposal for peace was "not my final offer", following intense criticism from Ukraine's leaders and analysts that compared it to a 1938 Munich agreement between Chamberlain and Hitler.

In brief comments from the White House, the US president informed reporters: "We’d like to get to peace. It should’ve happened a long time ago … we’re trying to get it ended, one way or the other we have to get it ended."

Forthcoming Switzerland Talks Include Multiple Countries

US and Ukrainian officials will meet in Switzerland this Sunday to discuss the plan. Defense representatives from Germany, France, and the UK will also participate in the talks in Geneva.

Prior to these discussions, US senators informed media outlets that Secretary of State Rubio contacted them during his travel to Switzerland for clarification on the nature of this disclosed proposal. According to him, this plan "was not the administration’s plan" but rather a "wish list of the Russians", as reported by independent Maine senator King, who serves on the Senate Foreign Relations Committee.

Zelenskyy Confronts Crucial Deadline

Nevertheless, the former president has given Zelenskyy a deadline of Thursday for signing this multi-point agreement. The document requires Ukraine to give up territory under its control to Moscow, downsize the size of its army, and relinquish long-range weapons. It also rules out a European peacekeeping force and sanctions for Russian war crimes.

During a solemn speech last Friday, Zelenskyy cautioned that his country confronts an impossible choice over the coming days between keeping its national dignity and losing a major partner in the shape of the US. Zelenskyy acknowledged that it faces an extremely challenging period historically.

Ukraine's Dialogue Delegation Appointed for Upcoming Talks

Speaking on Saturday, the president emphasized that genuine or "dignified" peace depends on assured safety and fairness. He revealed a delegation, appointed by presidential decree, which will meet its US counterparts in Switzerland, headed by his chief of staff Andriy Yermak.

Another member of the Ukrainian delegation, ex-defense head and national security council secretary Umerov, stated they will hold consultations with the US "on the possible parameters of a future peace agreement".

Hinting at red lines, he noted: Ukraine enters these talks with defined goals. This represents a continuation of recent discussions focused on harmonizing our plans for future actions."

International Response and Concerns

Zelenskyy has attempted to participate positively 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 Ukraine’s sovereignty or abandon a constitution that enshrines the country’s current borders.

At a meeting held in South Africa, G20 leaders and EU representatives released a collective declaration 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 on some of its provisions, which rule out Kyiv’s Nato membership and impose terms on its European Union membership.

Public Views in Ukraine's Capital

Responses from Ukrainians to the text, drawn up by a Russian representative and a US delegate, have been largely negative. Analysts argued it outlined a plan for another Russian invasion: targeting not just Ukraine but of other parts of Europe too.

Mustafa Nayyem, a public figure involved in Ukraine’s 2014 pro-democracy Maidan revolution, said it invited parallels with Chamberlain’s infamous Munich deal. Trumps’s peace plan came from a similar category, with the victim invited "to formulate his own defeat so everyone else can live easier".

On social media, Nayyem expressed his anger by the complete pardon for Russian atrocities. It was an insult those who sought shelter 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, Dmytro Sariskyi, a young adult, said that Moscow has attempted to control Ukraine politically and territorially "for years". The agreement offered "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 sacrifice its liberties, he added. If it didn’t, 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 remarked.

Varied Perspectives from Ukrainian Citizens

Another passenger, teenager Sofia Barchan, asserted that the country would remain resilient 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 Zelenskyy was a "smart person" and forecasted he would not give up Ukrainian land.

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

European Leaders Criticize the Proposal

Previous European leaders have roundly condemned the plan. Finland’s former prime minister Sanna Marin called it a disaster, not only for Ukraine and Ukrainians but for democracies worldwide. She warned if the west showed weakness and ignorance – as it did in 2014 when Putin annexed Crimea – further hostilities could arise.

Belgium's ex-PM, Guy Verhofstadt, quoted a statement by Churchill of an appeaser as "one who feeds a crocodile, hoping it will eat him last". 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."