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Former President Trump indicated on Saturday that the Moscow-drafted proposal for peace was "not my final offer", after intense criticism from Ukrainian officials and analysts that compared it to the Munich pact of 1938 involving Neville Chamberlain and Adolf Hitler.

During brief remarks from the White House, Trump told journalists: "We’d like to get to peace. This should have occurred earlier … we’re trying to get it ended, one way or the other we have to get it ended."

Upcoming Switzerland Talks Involve Multiple Nations

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

Ahead of the talks, American lawmakers told the press that Secretary of State Rubio reached out to them during his travel to Switzerland for clarification on the nature of the leaked plan. He said, the proposal did not originate from the administration but instead a "wish list of the Russians", according to Senator Angus King, who serves on the Foreign Relations Committee.

Zelenskyy Confronts Critical Deadline

Nevertheless, Trump has set Volodymyr Zelenskyy until Thursday for signing the 28-point document. It calls on Kyiv to give up territory it currently controls to Moscow, reduce its military forces, and surrender advanced weaponry. Additionally, it rules out a European peacekeeping force and sanctions for Russian war crimes.

During a solemn address last Friday, the Ukrainian leader warned that Ukraine confronts an impossible choice over the coming days between keeping the nation's honor and losing key ally in the shape of the US. Zelenskyy acknowledged that Ukraine is experiencing an extremely challenging period in its history.

Ukrainian Negotiating Team Formed for Upcoming Talks

In comments on Saturday, Zelenskyy emphasized that real or respectable peace depends on assured safety and fairness. He announced a delegation, appointed through a decree, which will meet American representatives in Switzerland, led by top aide Andriy Yermak.

A additional delegate from Ukraine's team, ex-defense head and security council official Rustem Umerov, said there would be discussions with Washington regarding potential terms for a peace deal.

Suggesting red lines, he noted: "Ukraine approaches this process with a clear understanding of its interests. 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 Response and Concerns

Zelenskyy has attempted to participate positively with the US administration seemingly determined to resolve the war based on Russian conditions. He has emphasized he cannot give up the nation's independence or abandon a constitution that protects the country’s current borders.

During a summit in South Africa, leaders from the G20 and the European Council released a joint statement opposing the proposed deal, stating it requires "additional work". It said that members of the EU and NATO must be involved on some of its provisions, that exclude Ukraine's NATO accession and impose terms on its European Union membership.

Citizen Views in Ukraine's Capital

Responses from Ukrainians to the proposal, prepared by a Russian representative and Trump’s representative, has been overwhelmingly hostile. Commentators said it outlined a plan for another Russian invasion: not only of Ukraine but of other parts of Europe as well.

Mustafa Nayyem, a journalist and politician involved in the 2014 Maidan protests, said 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.

In a Facebook post, he said his anger by its "full" amnesty for Russian war crimes. It was an insult people who had hidden in basements in Bucha or Mariupol – sites of civilian executions – and families of deported children to Russia. "A rather cynical agreement," he concluded.

In an interview in Kyiv’s Golden Gate metro station, Sariskyi, 21, said that Russia had been trying to control Ukraine politically and territorially "for years". It conceded "barely anything" in the proposed deal and continued to keep its forces on Ukrainian soil. "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 added. If rejected, the US might cease collaboration and intelligence exchange, a crucial source of battlefield information for frontline Ukrainian troops. Currently, there is no favorable solution, he remarked.

Varied Perspectives from the Public

A different commuter, teenager Barchan, asserted that the country would remain resilient 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 Zelenskyy was a "smart person" and forecasted he would not cede territory.

While speaking in the rain, near a historical monument, Ivanovna mentioned she was grateful to the former US leader 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 ensured keeping America as a partner. The president should conduct a public vote on this matter, she proposed.

European Leaders Criticize the Plan

Previous European leaders have strongly criticized the plan. Ex-PM of Finland Sanna Marin called it a disaster, affecting not just Ukraine but for "all of the democratic world". She warned if Western nations display vulnerability – as it did in 2014 when Putin annexed Crimea – "more aggression and conflicts" could arise.

Belgium's ex-PM, Guy Verhofstadt, quoted Churchill’s definition of an appeaser as someone who accommodates an aggressor. He continued: "Trump now takes Putin’s side. Europe faces a choice between compromise and principles. A critical juncture for the European Union."