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Former President Trump indicated on Saturday that the Moscow-drafted proposal for peace constituted not his ultimate proposal, following intense criticism from Ukraine's officials and commentators who compared it to the Munich pact of 1938 involving Chamberlain and Hitler.

During brief remarks at the White House, Trump told reporters: "We’d like to get to peace. It should’ve happened a long time ago … we are attempting to conclude it, one way or the other we have to get it ended."

Forthcoming Switzerland Negotiations Involve Multiple Nations

US and Ukrainian delegates are scheduled to meet in Switzerland this Sunday to discuss the plan. Defense representatives from Germany, France, and the UK will also participate in the talks in Geneva.

Ahead of these discussions, US senators told the press that Secretary of State Rubio reached out to them during his travel to Geneva to clarify the nature of the leaked plan. According to him, the proposal "was not the administration’s plan" but instead reflected Russian desires, according to Senator Angus King, a member on the Foreign Relations Committee.

Ukraine's President Confronts Critical Time Limit

However, the former president has set Zelenskyy until Thursday for signing the 28-point document. It calls on Ukraine to give up territory under its control to Russia, reduce its military forces, and relinquish long-range weapons. It also rules out a European peacekeeping force and sanctions for atrocities committed by Russia.

In a sombre address on Friday, Zelenskyy warned that his country faces a difficult decision over the coming days between preserving the nation's honor and losing a major partner like the United States. He admitted that it faces an extremely challenging period historically.

Ukraine's Negotiating Team Formed for Geneva Talks

In comments on Saturday, Zelenskyy said that real or respectable peace depends on assured safety and fairness. He revealed a delegation, established by presidential decree, that would soon meet its US counterparts in Switzerland, led by top aide Yermak.

Another member from Ukraine's team, former defence minister and security council official Rustem Umerov, said there would be consultations with Washington regarding potential terms for a peace deal.

Suggesting red lines, Umerov noted: Ukraine enters these talks with defined goals. This represents a continuation of recent discussions focused on harmonizing our plans for future actions."

Global Response and Concerns

The Ukrainian president has sought 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 Ukraine’s sovereignty or disregard the constitutional framework that enshrines Ukraine's territorial integrity.

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 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.

Public Views in Kyiv

Ukrainian reaction to the text, prepared by Putin’s envoy and a US delegate, have been largely negative. Analysts argued it outlined a plan for another Russian invasion: not only of Ukraine but of other parts of Europe too.

Nayyem, a public figure involved in Ukraine’s 2014 pro-democracy Maidan revolution, said it drew comparisons with the Munich Agreement. Trumps’s peace plan came from a similar category, with the victim invited to outline its own surrender for broader convenience.

On social media, Nayyem expressed he was outraged by the complete pardon for Russian atrocities. This offended people who had hidden in basements in Bucha or Mariupol – sites of civilian executions – and for those whose children had been forcibly deported to Russia. "A rather cynical agreement," he stated.

Speaking in a Kyiv subway station, Dmytro Sariskyi, 21, commented that Russia had been trying to dominate Ukraine "for years". It conceded "barely anything" 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 said.

If Zelenskyy signed off on the proposals Kyiv would be forced to give up its freedoms, he added. If rejected, the US would most likely break off cooperation and intelligence sharing, 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 the Public

Another passenger, 19-year-old Sofia Barchan, said that the country would remain resilient without American support. 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 forecasted he would not cede territory.

While 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 attempts to broker peace. She said that the nation ought to consider to give away certain regions for a limited time if it meant keeping America as a partner. "President Zelenskyy should hold a referendum and ask the people," she proposed.

EU Leaders Criticize the Plan

Previous European leaders have roundly condemned this proposal. Ex-PM of Finland Sanna Marin called it a catastrophe, affecting not just Ukraine 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.

Belgium's ex-PM, 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. A critical juncture for the European Union."