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Ex-leader Donald Trump indicated this past weekend that the Moscow-drafted peace plan was not his ultimate proposal, after fierce backlash from Ukraine's officials and analysts that likened it to a 1938 Munich agreement between Chamberlain and Hitler.

In short comments from the White House, the US president told reporters: Our goal is to achieve peace. It should’ve happened a long time ago … we are attempting to conclude it, one way or the other it must be resolved."

Upcoming Geneva Talks Involve Various Nations

US and Ukrainian officials will meet in Switzerland on Sunday to discuss this proposal. Security officials from France, Britain and Germany are expected to join the talks in Geneva.

Ahead of these discussions, US senators informed the press that Secretary of State Rubio contacted them while en route to Geneva to clarify the nature of the leaked plan. According to him, this plan "was not the administration’s plan" but instead reflected Russian desires, according to independent Maine senator King, a member on the Foreign Relations Committee.

Zelenskyy Confronts Crucial Time Limit

Nevertheless, the former president has given Volodymyr Zelenskyy until Thursday to sign the 28-point document. The document requires Kyiv to cede land under its control to Moscow, reduce the size of its army, and relinquish long-range weapons. It also rules out a European peacekeeping force and penalties for Russian war crimes.

In a sombre speech last Friday, the Ukrainian leader warned that his country faces an impossible choice in the near future involving preserving the nation's honor and losing a major partner like the United States. He admitted that it faces an extremely challenging period in its history.

Ukraine's Dialogue Delegation Formed for Upcoming Meetings

Speaking this weekend, the president emphasized that real or "dignified" peace depends on assured safety and fairness. He revealed a delegation, established through a decree, which will meet its US counterparts in Switzerland, headed by top aide Andriy Yermak.

A additional delegate from Ukraine's team, former defence minister and national security council secretary Rustem Umerov, said they will hold discussions with Washington "on the possible parameters of a future peace agreement".

Hinting at limits, Umerov 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 Reaction and Concerns

The Ukrainian president has attempted to engage constructively with the US administration apparently intent to resolve the war on the Kremlin’s one-sided terms. He has emphasized that he will not surrender the nation's independence or abandon a constitution that protects the country’s current borders.

During a summit in South Africa, G20 leaders and the European Council released a joint statement pushing back on the proposed deal, stating it needs further refinement. It said that members of the EU and NATO must be involved regarding certain clauses, which rule out Kyiv’s Nato membership and put conditions on its European Union membership.

Citizen Opinion in Ukraine's Capital

Responses from Ukrainians to the text, prepared by a Russian representative and Trump’s representative, have been largely negative. Commentators said it was a blueprint for another Russian invasion: not only of Ukraine but of other parts of Europe as well.

Mustafa Nayyem, a public figure involved in Ukraine’s 2014 pro-democracy Maidan revolution, remarked it invited parallels with the Munich Agreement. 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 expressed his anger by its "full" amnesty for Russian war crimes. It was an insult those who sought shelter in Bucha or Mariupol – where Russian troops executed hundreds of civilians – and families of deported children to Russian territory. A deeply cynical deal, he stated.

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 very little in the proposed deal and continued to keep troops in Ukraine. "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 said. 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 noted.

Diverse Perspectives from the Public

Another passenger, 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. It belongs to Ukraine." She said that the president is intelligent and forecasted he would not give up Ukrainian land.

Speaking in the rain, next to a replica of Kyiv’s original medieval gate, Ivanovna mentioned her appreciation to the former US leader for his attempts to broker peace. She said that the nation should be ready ceding Crimea and the eastern Donbas region temporarily if it ensured keeping America as a partner. The president should conduct a public vote on this matter, she proposed.

EU Officials Condemn the Proposal

Previous European leaders 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 warned if the west showed weakness and ignorance – similar to the 2014 Crimea annexation – "more aggression and conflicts" could arise.

The former prime minister of Belgium, Verhofstadt, referenced a statement by Churchill of an appeaser as "one who feeds a crocodile, hoping it will eat him last". He continued: Trump aligns with Putin. Europe faces a choice between compromise and principles. Another moment of truth for our [European] union."