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Former President Donald Trump remarked this past weekend that his Russian-prepared proposal for peace constituted not his ultimate proposal, after strong backlash from Ukraine's officials and commentators that compared it to a 1938 Munich agreement between Chamberlain and Hitler.

During brief remarks from the White House, the US president informed reporters: "We’d like to get to peace. This should have occurred earlier … we’re trying to get it ended, in any case we have to get it ended."

Upcoming Geneva Negotiations Include Multiple Countries

Ukrainian and American delegates are scheduled to meet in Geneva this Sunday to discuss the plan. Defense representatives from France, Britain and Germany are expected to join the talks there.

Ahead of these discussions, US senators informed the press that State Department head Rubio reached out to them during his travel to Geneva to clarify the nature of this disclosed proposal. He said, the proposal did not originate from the administration but rather a "wish list of the Russians", as reported by Senator King, a member on the Senate Foreign Relations Committee.

Ukraine's President Faces Crucial Time Limit

However, the former president has set Zelenskyy a deadline of Thursday for signing the 28-point document. It calls on Ukraine to give up land under its control to Moscow, reduce its military forces, and relinquish advanced weaponry. It also rules out a European peacekeeping force and penalties for atrocities committed by Russia.

In a sombre speech last Friday, the Ukrainian leader cautioned that his country confronts an impossible choice over the coming days involving keeping its national dignity and losing key ally in the shape of the US. He admitted that it faces an extremely challenging period historically.

Ukrainian Negotiating Delegation Appointed for Geneva Meetings

Speaking this weekend, the president emphasized that real or "dignified" peace depends on "guaranteed security and justice". He announced a delegation, established by presidential decree, that would soon meet its US counterparts in Switzerland, headed by top aide Yermak.

Another member of the Ukrainian delegation, former defence minister and national security council secretary Umerov, said there would be discussions with Washington "on the possible parameters of a future peace agreement".

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 Criticism

The Ukrainian president has sought to participate positively with a White House apparently intent to end the conflict on the Kremlin’s one-sided terms. He has emphasized he cannot give up the nation's independence or disregard a constitution that protects the country’s current borders.

During a summit in South Africa, G20 leaders and EU representatives released a collective declaration pushing back on the proposed deal, stating it needs "additional work". 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.

Citizen Views in Kyiv

Ukrainian reaction to the proposal, drawn up by a Russian representative and Trump’s representative, have been largely negative. Commentators argued it outlined a plan for further Russian aggression: targeting not just Ukraine but of other parts of Europe as well.

Nayyem, a journalist and politician who led the 2014 Maidan protests, remarked it drew comparisons with Chamberlain’s infamous Munich deal. The proposal belonged to the same "recognisable genre", with the victim invited "to formulate his own defeat so everyone else can live easier".

On social media, he said he was outraged by its "full" amnesty for Russian war crimes. It was an insult people who had hidden in basements 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 concluded.

In an interview in Kyiv’s Golden Gate metro station, Sariskyi, a young adult, said that Moscow had been trying to control Ukraine politically and territorially over many years. The agreement offered very little in the proposed deal and maintained troops in Ukraine. "I think the deal is an attempt to break Ukraine and force unjust conditions on us," he said.

If Zelenskyy signed off on the proposals Kyiv would be forced to sacrifice its liberties, he said. If it didn’t, the US would most likely break off cooperation and intelligence sharing, a crucial source of military intelligence for frontline Ukrainian troops. "There is no good way out of this for now," he noted.

Varied Viewpoints from Ukrainian Citizens

Another passenger, 19-year-old Barchan, asserted that the country 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. It belongs to Ukraine." She said Zelenskyy was a "smart person" and forecasted he would not give up Ukrainian land.

Speaking during rainfall, next to a replica of Kyiv’s original medieval gate, Olena Ivanovna mentioned her appreciation to the former US leader for his peace-making efforts. 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. The president should conduct a public vote on this matter, she said.

European Officials Criticize the Plan

Former European heads of state have strongly criticized this proposal. Ex-PM of Finland Marin described it as a disaster, not only for Ukraine and Ukrainians but for "all of the democratic world". She said if the west showed weakness and ignorance – similar to the 2014 Crimea annexation – further hostilities could arise.

The former prime minister of Belgium, Verhofstadt, quoted a statement by Churchill of an appeaser as someone who accommodates an aggressor. 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."