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Ex-leader Donald Trump indicated on Saturday that his Moscow-drafted proposal for peace was "not my final offer", after intense backlash from Ukraine's officials and analysts who compared it to the Munich pact of 1938 involving Neville Chamberlain and Hitler.

In brief comments at the White House, Trump informed reporters: Our goal is to achieve peace. It should’ve happened a long time ago … we are attempting to conclude it, in any case it must be resolved."

Forthcoming Switzerland Negotiations Involve Various Countries

Ukrainian and American officials will meet in Switzerland on Sunday for discussions on this proposal. Defense representatives from Germany, France, and the UK are expected to join these negotiations there.

Prior to these discussions, American lawmakers informed media outlets that State Department head Marco Rubio reached out to them during his travel to Geneva to clarify the nature of this disclosed proposal. According to him, the proposal "was not the administration’s plan" but rather reflected Russian desires, according to Senator King, who serves on the Senate Foreign Relations Committee.

Ukraine's President Confronts Critical Time Limit

Nevertheless, Trump has set Zelenskyy a deadline of Thursday to sign the 28-point document. It calls on Ukraine to cede land it currently controls to Russia, reduce the size of its army, and relinquish advanced weaponry. It also rules out international peacekeepers and penalties for atrocities committed by Russia.

In a sombre address on Friday, Zelenskyy warned that his country confronts an impossible choice over the coming days between keeping the nation's honor and losing a major partner in the shape of the US. Zelenskyy acknowledged that it faces an extremely challenging period historically.

Ukrainian Dialogue Team Formed for Geneva Talks

In comments this weekend, Zelenskyy emphasized that real or "dignified" peace was always based on "guaranteed security and justice". He revealed a negotiating team, established through a decree, that would soon meet its US counterparts in Geneva, led by top aide Yermak.

Another member from Ukraine's team, ex-defense head and national security council secretary Rustem Umerov, stated they will hold consultations with Washington "on the possible parameters of a future peace agreement".

Suggesting limits, 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

The Ukrainian president has attempted to participate positively with a White House apparently intent to end the conflict based on Russian conditions. He has emphasized he cannot give up Ukraine’s sovereignty or disregard a constitution that protects the country’s current borders.

During a summit held in South Africa, G20 leaders and the European Council issued a collective declaration pushing back on the proposed deal, saying it needs further refinement. It said that members of the EU and NATO must be involved on some of its provisions, that exclude Kyiv’s Nato membership and put conditions on its future EU accession.

Citizen Opinion in Kyiv

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

Mustafa Nayyem, a journalist and politician involved in Ukraine’s 2014 pro-democracy Maidan revolution, said it drew comparisons with the Munich Agreement. Trumps’s peace plan belonged to a similar category, where the affected party is asked to outline its own surrender for broader convenience.

In a Facebook post, he expressed he was outraged by the complete pardon for Russian atrocities. It was an insult those who sought shelter in Bucha or Mariupol – where Russian troops executed hundreds of civilians – and for those whose children had been forcibly deported to Russia. "A rather cynical agreement," he concluded.

In an interview in Kyiv’s Golden Gate metro station, Sariskyi, 21, said that Moscow has attempted to dominate Ukraine over many years. The agreement offered very little in the proposed deal and maintained its forces on Ukrainian soil. In my view, this deal aims to undermine Ukraine and impose unfair terms, he remarked.

If Zelenskyy signed off on the proposals it would be compelled to give up its freedoms, he added. If rejected, the US might cease collaboration and intelligence exchange, a crucial source of battlefield information for frontline Ukrainian troops. "There is no good way out of this for now," he remarked.

Varied Perspectives from Ukrainian Citizens

A different commuter, 19-year-old Barchan, asserted that the country would "keep strong" without American support. "We will fight for as long as it takes. Crimea and the eastern regions are part of Ukraine. It belongs to Ukraine." She expressed Zelenskyy was a "smart person" and forecasted he would not cede territory.

Speaking in the rain, next to a replica of Kyiv’s original medieval gate, Ivanovna mentioned her appreciation to Trump for his attempts to broker peace. She suggested that the nation ought to consider to give away certain regions 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 strongly criticized the plan. Finland’s former prime minister Sanna Marin described it as a disaster, not only for Ukraine and Ukrainians but for democracies worldwide. 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, Verhofstadt, quoted Churchill’s definition of an appeaser as someone who accommodates an aggressor. He added: Trump aligns with Putin. Europe faces a choice between compromise and principles. Another moment of truth for our [European] union."