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Former President Donald Trump remarked this past weekend that his Russian-prepared peace plan was not his ultimate proposal, following fierce reaction from Ukrainian leaders and commentators that compared it to the Munich pact of 1938 involving Chamberlain and Hitler.

In short remarks from the White House, Trump informed journalists: "We’d like to get to peace. This should have occurred earlier … we are attempting to conclude it, in any case we have to get it ended."

Upcoming Geneva Negotiations Involve Multiple Countries

US and Ukrainian officials will meet in Geneva this Sunday to discuss this proposal. Security officials from Germany, France, and the UK will also participate in these negotiations in Geneva.

Ahead of these discussions, US senators told media outlets that Secretary of State Rubio reached out to them while en route to Geneva for clarification on the details of this disclosed proposal. He said, this plan did not originate from the administration but instead a "wish list of the Russians", as reported by independent Maine senator King, who serves on the Foreign Relations Committee.

Zelenskyy Faces Critical Time Limit

Nevertheless, the former president has given Zelenskyy until Thursday for signing this multi-point agreement. It calls on Ukraine to cede territory it currently controls to Russia, downsize the size of its army, and relinquish long-range weapons. It also excludes a European peacekeeping force and penalties for Russian war crimes.

During a solemn address last Friday, the Ukrainian leader warned that his country faces an impossible choice over the coming days between keeping its national dignity and forfeiting a major partner like the United States. Zelenskyy acknowledged that it faces one of the most difficult moments in its history.

Ukrainian Negotiating Team Formed for Upcoming Talks

In comments this weekend, the president said that genuine or respectable resolution was always based on "guaranteed security and justice". He revealed a delegation, established through a decree, that would soon meet American representatives in Geneva, headed by his chief of staff Andriy Yermak.

A additional delegate of the Ukrainian delegation, ex-defense head and national security council secretary Umerov, stated there would be discussions with Washington regarding potential terms for a peace deal.

Hinting at 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."

Global Response and Criticism

The Ukrainian president has attempted to participate positively with the US administration seemingly determined to end the conflict based on Russian conditions. He has emphasized that he will not surrender Ukraine’s sovereignty or disregard a constitution that enshrines the country’s current borders.

During a summit in South Africa, leaders from the G20 and the European Council issued a joint statement opposing Trump’s plan, stating it requires further refinement. It said that EU and Nato members would need to be consulted on some of its provisions, that exclude Ukraine's NATO accession and impose terms on its future EU accession.

Citizen Opinion in Ukraine's Capital

Ukrainian reaction to the proposal, prepared by a Russian representative and Trump’s representative, has been overwhelmingly hostile. Commentators said it outlined a plan for further Russian aggression: not only of Ukraine but other European regions too.

Nayyem, a journalist and politician involved in the 2014 Maidan protests, said it drew comparisons with the Munich Agreement. Trumps’s peace plan belonged to the same "recognisable genre", where the affected party is asked "to formulate his own defeat so everyone else can live easier".

In a Facebook post, Nayyem expressed he was outraged by the complete pardon for Russian atrocities. It was an insult people who had hidden in basements in Bucha or Mariupol – sites of civilian executions – and families of deported children to Russian territory. A deeply cynical deal, he stated.

In an interview in a Kyiv subway station, Sariskyi, a young adult, commented that Russia had been trying to dominate Ukraine "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.

If Zelenskyy signed off on the proposals it would be compelled to give up its freedoms, he added. If it didn’t, the US might cease collaboration and intelligence exchange, a vital resource of military intelligence for frontline Ukrainian troops. Currently, there is no favorable solution, he noted.

Diverse Viewpoints from Ukrainian Citizens

A different commuter, 19-year-old Sofia Barchan, asserted that Ukraine would remain resilient lacking US backing. We will continue our struggle as needed. Our territory will remain our territory, including Crimea and the east. It belongs to Ukraine." She said that the president is intelligent and predicted he would not give up Ukrainian land.

While speaking during rainfall, near a historical monument, Olena Ivanovna said she was grateful to the former US leader for his attempts to broker peace. She suggested that Ukraine should be ready 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 said.

European Officials Condemn the Plan

Former European heads of state have roundly condemned the plan. Finland’s former prime minister Sanna Marin described it as a catastrophe, not only for Ukraine and Ukrainians but for "all of the democratic world". She warned if Western nations display vulnerability – similar to the 2014 Crimea annexation – "more aggression and conflicts" could arise.

The former prime minister of Belgium, Verhofstadt, quoted Churchill’s definition regarding appeasement as someone who accommodates an aggressor. He added: "Trump now takes Putin’s side. Europe must choose again: appeasement or our values, imperialism or freedom. A critical juncture for the European Union."