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Former President Trump stated this past weekend that the Moscow-drafted proposal for peace constituted "not my final offer", after fierce backlash from Ukraine's officials and commentators who compared it to the 1938 Munich agreement involving Neville Chamberlain and Hitler.

In short remarks at the White House, the US president informed journalists: Our goal is to achieve peace. This should have occurred earlier … we’re trying to get it ended, one way or the other we have to get it ended."

Upcoming Geneva Negotiations Involve Various Nations

Ukrainian and American officials are scheduled to meet in Switzerland this Sunday for discussions on this proposal. Security officials from France, Britain and Germany will also participate in the talks there.

Prior to these discussions, US senators informed media outlets that State Department head Marco Rubio contacted them while en route to Switzerland for clarification on the nature of this disclosed proposal. According to him, the proposal "was not the administration’s plan" but rather reflected Russian desires, as reported by independent Maine senator Angus King, a member on the Senate Foreign Relations Committee.

Zelenskyy Faces Critical Deadline

However, the former president has set Volodymyr Zelenskyy a deadline of Thursday to sign the 28-point document. The document requires Ukraine to cede territory under its control to Moscow, downsize its military forces, and surrender advanced weaponry. Additionally, it rules out international peacekeepers and sanctions for atrocities committed by Russia.

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

Ukrainian Negotiating Delegation Formed for Upcoming Talks

In comments this weekend, Zelenskyy said that genuine or respectable peace depends on "guaranteed security and justice". He announced a delegation, appointed through a decree, that would soon meet its US counterparts in Geneva, headed by his chief of staff Andriy Yermak.

A additional delegate of the Ukrainian delegation, former defence minister and national security council secretary Umerov, stated there would be consultations with Washington regarding potential terms for a peace deal.

Suggesting limits, he noted: Ukraine enters these talks with defined goals. 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."

International Reaction and Concerns

The Ukrainian president has attempted to participate positively with a White House seemingly determined to resolve the war based on Russian conditions. He has made clear he cannot give up Ukraine’s sovereignty or disregard the constitutional framework that enshrines the country’s current borders.

At a meeting 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 would need to be consulted regarding certain clauses, that exclude Kyiv’s Nato membership and impose terms on its European Union membership.

Public Opinion in Kyiv

Responses from Ukrainians to the proposal, drawn up 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 other European regions too.

Nayyem, a public figure who led Ukraine’s 2014 pro-democracy Maidan revolution, said it invited parallels with Chamberlain’s infamous Munich deal. The proposal came from the same "recognisable genre", where the affected party is asked to outline its own surrender for broader convenience.

On social media, he said his anger by its "full" amnesty for Russian war crimes. It was an insult people who had hidden in basements in Bucha or Mariupol – where Russian troops executed hundreds of civilians – and families of deported children to Russia. "A rather cynical agreement," he stated.

In an interview in a Kyiv subway station, Dmytro Sariskyi, a young adult, commented that Russia has attempted to control Ukraine politically and territorially over many years. The agreement offered "barely anything" in the proposed deal and continued to keep troops in Ukraine. In my view, this deal aims to undermine Ukraine and impose unfair terms, he remarked.

Should Ukraine accept the terms 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 Ukraine's forces. "There is no good way out of this for now," he noted.

Varied Perspectives from Ukrainian Citizens

A different commuter, teenager Sofia 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 that the president is intelligent and predicted he would not give up Ukrainian land.

Speaking during rainfall, 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 maintaining US support. "President Zelenskyy should hold a referendum and ask the people," she proposed.

EU Officials Condemn the Proposal

Previous European leaders have strongly criticized this proposal. Ex-PM of Finland 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 – further hostilities could arise.

Belgium's ex-PM, Guy Verhofstadt, quoted a statement by Churchill of an appeaser as "one who feeds a crocodile, hoping it will eat him last". He added: Trump aligns with Putin. Europe must choose again: appeasement or our values, imperialism or freedom. A critical juncture for the European Union."