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Ex-leader Donald Trump stated this past weekend that his Moscow-drafted peace plan was not his ultimate proposal, following strong criticism from Ukraine's leaders and commentators who compared it to the 1938 Munich agreement between Chamberlain and Adolf Hitler.

During brief remarks at the White House, Trump informed reporters: "We’d like to get to peace. This should have occurred earlier … we are attempting to conclude it, in any case it must be resolved."

Forthcoming Switzerland Negotiations Include Various Nations

US and Ukrainian officials will meet in Switzerland this Sunday to discuss the plan. Defense representatives from France, Britain and Germany are expected to join these negotiations there.

Prior to these discussions, American lawmakers informed media outlets that State Department head Rubio reached out to them while en route to Geneva for clarification on the details of the leaked plan. According to him, this plan "was not the administration’s plan" but rather reflected Russian desires, as reported by independent Maine senator Angus King, a member on the Foreign Relations Committee.

Zelenskyy Confronts Crucial Deadline

Nevertheless, the former president has set Volodymyr Zelenskyy a deadline of Thursday to sign the 28-point document. The document requires Kyiv to give up territory under its control to Russia, reduce its military forces, and surrender advanced weaponry. Additionally, it rules out a European peacekeeping force and sanctions for atrocities committed by Russia.

In a sombre speech last Friday, Zelenskyy warned that Ukraine confronts a difficult decision in the near future involving keeping its national dignity and forfeiting a major partner in the shape of the US. He admitted that Ukraine is experiencing one of the most difficult moments in its history.

Ukraine's Negotiating Team Appointed for Geneva Meetings

Speaking this weekend, Zelenskyy said that genuine or "dignified" peace was always based on assured safety and fairness. He announced a delegation, established through a decree, that would soon meet its US counterparts in Switzerland, headed by top aide Andriy Yermak.

A additional delegate of the Ukrainian delegation, ex-defense head and security council official Rustem Umerov, said there would be consultations with the US regarding potential terms for a peace deal.

Hinting at red lines, he added: "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."

Global Response and Criticism

Zelenskyy has attempted to participate positively with the US administration seemingly determined to resolve the war on the Kremlin’s one-sided terms. He has emphasized that he will not surrender the nation's independence or disregard the constitutional framework that protects Ukraine's territorial integrity.

During a summit in South Africa, G20 leaders and the European Council issued a collective declaration pushing back on Trump’s plan, saying it requires "additional work". The statement indicated that EU and Nato members would need to be consulted on some of its provisions, that exclude Ukraine's NATO accession and put conditions on its future EU accession.

Public Views in Kyiv

Ukrainian reaction to the text, prepared by a Russian representative and Trump’s representative, has been overwhelmingly hostile. Commentators said it was a blueprint for another Russian invasion: targeting not just Ukraine but of other parts of Europe too.

Nayyem, a public figure involved in the 2014 Maidan protests, said it invited parallels with the Munich Agreement. Trumps’s peace plan came from the same "recognisable genre", with the victim invited "to formulate his own defeat so everyone else can live easier".

In a Facebook post, he expressed his anger by its "full" amnesty for Russian war crimes. It was an insult those who sought shelter in affected cities – where Russian troops executed hundreds of civilians – and families of deported children to Russian territory. "A rather cynical agreement," he concluded.

Speaking in a Kyiv subway station, Dmytro Sariskyi, 21, commented that Russia has attempted to control Ukraine politically and territorially over many years. It conceded very little in the proposed deal and continued to keep troops in Ukraine. 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 it didn’t, the US would most likely break off cooperation and intelligence sharing, a vital resource of military intelligence for Ukraine's forces. Currently, there is no favorable solution, he noted.

Diverse Viewpoints from the Public

A different commuter, teenager Barchan, asserted that Ukraine would "keep strong" lacking US backing. "We will fight for as long as it takes. 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.

Speaking in the rain, near a historical monument, Olena Ivanovna mentioned her appreciation to the former US leader for his attempts to broker peace. She said that the nation ought to consider to give away Crimea and the eastern Donbas region for a limited time if it ensured keeping America as a partner. "President Zelenskyy should hold a referendum and ask the people," she proposed.

EU Leaders Criticize the Plan

Former European heads of state have strongly criticized this proposal. Finland’s former prime minister Marin described it as a disaster, affecting not just Ukraine but for democracies worldwide. She said if Western nations display vulnerability – similar to the 2014 Crimea annexation – "more aggression and conflicts" could arise.

The former prime minister of Belgium, Guy Verhofstadt, referenced Churchill’s definition of an appeaser as "one who feeds a crocodile, hoping it will eat him last". He added: "Trump now takes Putin’s side. Europe must choose again: appeasement or our values, imperialism or freedom. Another moment of truth for our [European] union."