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Ex-leader Trump indicated this past weekend that the Moscow-drafted proposal for peace was "not my final offer", after strong backlash from Ukraine's leaders and commentators that compared it to a 1938 Munich agreement involving Neville Chamberlain and Adolf Hitler.

In brief remarks from the White House, Trump 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 Talks Involve Various Countries

Ukrainian and American officials will meet in Geneva on Sunday to discuss this proposal. Defense representatives from France, Britain and Germany will also participate in the talks in Geneva.

Ahead of these discussions, American lawmakers informed the press that State Department head Rubio reached out to them while en route to Switzerland to clarify the details of this disclosed proposal. According to him, this plan did not originate from the administration but rather reflected Russian desires, as reported by independent Maine senator Angus King, who serves on the Foreign Relations Committee.

Zelenskyy Confronts Crucial Deadline

However, the former president has given Zelenskyy until Thursday for signing this multi-point agreement. It calls on Kyiv to give up land under its control to Moscow, downsize the size of its army, and relinquish long-range weapons. Additionally, it rules out international peacekeepers and penalties for Russian war crimes.

In a sombre address on Friday, Zelenskyy warned that Ukraine confronts an impossible choice in the near future between preserving the nation's honor and forfeiting key ally in the shape of the US. He admitted that it faces an extremely challenging period in its history.

Ukraine's Dialogue Delegation Appointed for Geneva Meetings

Speaking on Saturday, the president emphasized that genuine or "dignified" resolution depends on assured safety and fairness. He revealed a delegation, appointed through a decree, that would soon meet American representatives in Geneva, headed by top aide Yermak.

A additional delegate of the Ukrainian delegation, former defence minister and security council official Umerov, said there would be discussions with the US 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."

International Response and Criticism

Zelenskyy has attempted to engage constructively with a White House seemingly determined to end the conflict based on Russian conditions. He has emphasized he cannot give up Ukraine’s sovereignty or disregard the constitutional framework that protects the country’s current borders.

At a meeting held in South Africa, leaders from the G20 and EU representatives issued a collective declaration pushing back on the proposed deal, saying it requires "additional work". It said that members of the EU and NATO must be involved on some of its provisions, which rule out Ukraine's NATO accession and impose terms on its future EU accession.

Public Views in Kyiv

Responses from Ukrainians to the text, prepared by Putin’s envoy and a US delegate, has been overwhelmingly hostile. Commentators argued it was a blueprint for another Russian invasion: targeting not just Ukraine but other European regions as well.

Mustafa Nayyem, a public figure who led Ukraine’s 2014 pro-democracy Maidan revolution, said it drew comparisons with the Munich Agreement. Trumps’s peace plan belonged to a similar category, with the victim invited "to formulate his own defeat so everyone else can live easier".

In a Facebook post, he expressed he was outraged by its "full" amnesty for Russian war crimes. It was an insult those who sought shelter in Bucha or Mariupol – sites of civilian executions – and for those whose children had been forcibly deported to Russia. A deeply cynical deal, he concluded.

Speaking in a Kyiv subway station, Sariskyi, 21, said that Moscow has attempted to control Ukraine politically and territorially "for years". It conceded "barely anything" in the Trump agreement and maintained its forces on Ukrainian soil. "I think the deal is an attempt to break Ukraine and force unjust conditions on us," he remarked.

Should Ukraine accept the terms Kyiv would be forced to sacrifice its liberties, he said. If it didn’t, the US might cease collaboration and intelligence exchange, a vital resource of battlefield information for frontline Ukrainian troops. "There is no good way out of this for now," he noted.

Diverse Viewpoints from the Public

Another passenger, teenager Barchan, asserted that Ukraine would remain resilient without American support. We will continue our struggle as needed. Crimea and the eastern regions are part of Ukraine. It belongs to Ukraine." She expressed Zelenskyy was a "smart person" and predicted he would not cede territory.

While speaking in the rain, near a historical monument, Olena Ivanovna mentioned her appreciation to the former US leader for his peace-making efforts. She said that the nation should be ready to give away certain regions temporarily if it ensured maintaining US support. "President Zelenskyy should hold a referendum and ask the people," she proposed.

EU Leaders Condemn the Proposal

Former European heads of state have strongly criticized the plan. Ex-PM of Finland Sanna Marin called it a catastrophe, not only for Ukraine and Ukrainians but for democracies worldwide. She warned if Western nations display vulnerability – similar to the 2014 Crimea annexation – "more aggression and conflicts" would follow.

The former prime minister of Belgium, Guy Verhofstadt, quoted a statement by Churchill of an appeaser as "one who feeds a crocodile, hoping it will eat him last". He continued: "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."