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Former President Donald Trump indicated this past weekend that his Russian-prepared peace plan was "not my final offer", after intense reaction from Ukraine's leaders and commentators who likened it to a 1938 Munich agreement involving Chamberlain and Hitler.

In brief remarks from the White House, Trump told reporters: "We’d like to get to peace. This should have occurred earlier … we’re trying to get it ended, one way or the other it must be resolved."

Forthcoming Switzerland Negotiations Involve Multiple Countries

Ukrainian and American officials are scheduled to meet in Switzerland on Sunday to discuss the plan. Security officials from France, Britain and Germany will also participate in the talks in Geneva.

Ahead of the talks, US senators told media outlets that Secretary of State Marco Rubio reached out to them while en route to Switzerland to clarify the nature of the leaked plan. He said, this plan "was not the administration’s plan" but rather reflected Russian desires, as reported by Senator King, a member on the Senate Foreign Relations Committee.

Zelenskyy Faces Crucial Time Limit

However, the former president has set Volodymyr Zelenskyy a deadline of Thursday for signing the 28-point document. It calls on Ukraine to cede territory under its control to Moscow, downsize its military forces, and surrender long-range weapons. It also rules out a European peacekeeping force and penalties for Russian war crimes.

During a solemn address on Friday, the Ukrainian leader cautioned that his country faces a difficult decision in the near future between keeping the nation's honor and losing key ally like the United States. He admitted that it faces one of the most difficult moments historically.

Ukrainian Negotiating Team Formed for Upcoming Meetings

Speaking this weekend, the president said that genuine or "dignified" resolution depends on "guaranteed security and justice". He revealed a delegation, appointed by presidential decree, which will meet American representatives in Switzerland, led by his chief of staff Andriy Yermak.

A additional delegate from Ukraine's team, ex-defense head and security council official Rustem Umerov, stated there would be discussions with the US regarding potential terms for a peace deal.

Suggesting red lines, he noted: "Ukraine approaches this process with a clear understanding of its interests. This represents a continuation of recent discussions focused on harmonizing our plans for future actions."

International Response and Criticism

Zelenskyy has attempted to participate positively with a White House seemingly determined to end the conflict based on Russian conditions. He has made clear he cannot give up Ukraine’s sovereignty or abandon a constitution that protects Ukraine's territorial integrity.

During a summit in South Africa, G20 leaders and the European Council issued a joint statement pushing back on Trump’s plan, stating it requires further refinement. It said that members of the EU and NATO would need to be consulted on some of its provisions, which rule out Kyiv’s Nato membership and impose terms on its future EU accession.

Public Opinion in Kyiv

Ukrainian reaction to the text, prepared by Putin’s envoy and a US delegate, has been overwhelmingly hostile. Commentators said it outlined a plan for another Russian invasion: targeting not just Ukraine but of other parts of Europe as well.

Mustafa Nayyem, a public figure who led the 2014 Maidan protests, remarked it drew comparisons with the Munich Agreement. Trumps’s peace plan came from the same "recognisable genre", where the affected party is asked "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. This offended those who sought shelter in Bucha or Mariupol – sites of civilian executions – and families of deported children to Russian territory. "A rather cynical agreement," he concluded.

In an interview in Kyiv’s Golden Gate metro station, Sariskyi, 21, said that Moscow has attempted to dominate Ukraine over many years. It conceded very little in the proposed deal 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 it would be compelled to sacrifice its liberties, he added. If it didn’t, the US would most likely break off cooperation and intelligence sharing, a crucial source of battlefield information for Ukraine's forces. "There is no good way out of this for now," he noted.

Diverse Perspectives from the Public

Another passenger, teenager Sofia Barchan, said that Ukraine would "keep strong" without American support. We will continue our struggle as needed. Crimea and the eastern regions are part of Ukraine. They are Ukrainian land." She said that the president is intelligent and predicted he would not cede territory.

Speaking in the rain, next to a replica of Kyiv’s original medieval gate, Ivanovna said she was grateful to the former US leader for his attempts to broker peace. She suggested that the nation should be ready to give away certain regions for a limited time if it meant keeping America as a partner. The president should conduct a public vote on this matter, she said.

EU Officials Criticize the Proposal

Previous European leaders have strongly criticized this proposal. Finland’s former prime minister Marin called it a catastrophe, affecting not just Ukraine but for "all of the democratic world". She warned if the west showed weakness and ignorance – similar to the 2014 Crimea annexation – "more aggression and conflicts" could arise.

Belgium's ex-PM, Guy 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 must choose again: appeasement or our values, imperialism or freedom. Another moment of truth for our [European] union."