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Ex-leader Donald Trump indicated on Saturday that the Russian-prepared proposal for peace was not his ultimate proposal, after fierce backlash from Ukraine's leaders and analysts who likened it to the Munich pact of 1938 between Neville Chamberlain and Adolf Hitler.

During short comments from the White House, the US president told reporters: "We’d like to get to peace. This should have occurred earlier … we are attempting to conclude it, in any case it must be resolved."

Forthcoming Switzerland Negotiations Involve Various Countries

Ukrainian and American officials will meet in Geneva on Sunday to discuss the plan. Defense representatives from France, Britain and Germany are expected to join the talks there.

Ahead of these discussions, American lawmakers informed the press that Secretary of State Rubio reached out to them while en route to Switzerland for clarification on the nature of this disclosed proposal. He said, this plan did not originate from the administration but instead a "wish list of the Russians", according to independent Maine senator Angus King, a member on the Senate Foreign Relations Committee.

Zelenskyy Confronts Crucial Deadline

However, Trump has set Zelenskyy a deadline of Thursday to sign the 28-point document. The document requires Kyiv to cede territory under its control to Moscow, downsize the size of its army, and relinquish advanced weaponry. It also excludes a European peacekeeping force and penalties for atrocities committed by Russia.

During a solemn speech last Friday, the Ukrainian leader cautioned that his country confronts an impossible choice in the near future between keeping the nation's honor and losing a major partner in the shape of the US. Zelenskyy acknowledged that Ukraine is experiencing one of the most difficult moments in its history.

Ukraine's Negotiating Team Appointed for Geneva Talks

Speaking this weekend, the president emphasized that genuine or respectable peace depends on assured safety and fairness. He announced a delegation, established by presidential decree, which will meet American representatives in Switzerland, headed by his chief of staff Andriy Yermak.

Another member from Ukraine's team, former defence minister and security council official Umerov, stated they will hold consultations with the US regarding potential terms for a peace deal.

Hinting at limits, Umerov added: Ukraine enters these talks with defined goals. This represents a continuation of recent discussions focused on harmonizing our plans for future actions."

Global Reaction and Criticism

The Ukrainian president has sought to participate positively with the US administration seemingly determined to end the conflict on the Kremlin’s one-sided terms. He has made clear he cannot give up the nation's independence or disregard the constitutional framework that protects Ukraine's territorial integrity.

At a meeting in South Africa, G20 leaders and EU representatives issued a collective declaration opposing the proposed deal, stating it needs further refinement. The statement indicated that EU and Nato members would need to be consulted on some of its provisions, that exclude Kyiv’s Nato membership and impose terms on its future EU accession.

Public Opinion in Ukraine's Capital

Responses from Ukrainians to the proposal, prepared by a Russian representative and a US delegate, have been largely negative. Commentators argued it outlined a plan for further Russian aggression: not only of Ukraine but of other parts of Europe as well.

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

On social media, he expressed his anger 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 deeply cynical deal, he concluded.

In an interview in a Kyiv subway station, Dmytro Sariskyi, 21, commented that Russia has attempted 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 Kyiv would be forced to give up its freedoms, he added. If rejected, the US might cease collaboration and intelligence exchange, a crucial source of battlefield information for Ukraine's forces. Currently, there is no favorable solution, he noted.

Varied Perspectives from the Public

A different commuter, teenager Sofia Barchan, said that Ukraine would remain resilient without American support. "We will fight for as long as it takes. Crimea and the eastern regions are part of Ukraine. It belongs to Ukraine." She expressed Zelenskyy was a "smart person" and forecasted he would not cede territory.

Speaking during rainfall, next to a replica of Kyiv’s original medieval gate, Olena Ivanovna mentioned she was grateful to Trump for his attempts to broker peace. She said that Ukraine should be ready ceding 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 Officials Criticize the Proposal

Former European heads of state have roundly condemned this proposal. Finland’s former prime minister Marin described it as a catastrophe, affecting not just Ukraine but for "all of the democratic world". She said if the west showed weakness and ignorance – as it did in 2014 when Putin annexed Crimea – "more aggression and conflicts" would follow.

Belgium's ex-PM, 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 faces a choice between compromise and principles. Another moment of truth for our [European] union."