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Former President Trump remarked on Saturday that his Russian-prepared proposal for peace was "not my final offer", after intense reaction from Ukraine's officials and commentators who likened it to the 1938 Munich agreement between Neville Chamberlain and Hitler.

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

Forthcoming Geneva Negotiations Include Multiple Nations

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

Prior to the talks, American lawmakers told the press that State Department head Rubio contacted them during his travel to Geneva to clarify the nature of this disclosed proposal. He said, this plan did not originate from the administration but rather reflected Russian desires, as reported by Senator King, a member on the Senate Foreign Relations Committee.

Zelenskyy Faces Crucial Time Limit

Nevertheless, Trump has set Zelenskyy until Thursday for signing the 28-point document. It calls on Ukraine to give up land it currently controls to Moscow, downsize the size of its army, and surrender advanced weaponry. It also rules out a European peacekeeping force and penalties for atrocities committed by Russia.

In a sombre address on Friday, the Ukrainian leader warned that Ukraine confronts an impossible choice over the coming days between preserving its national dignity and forfeiting a major partner in the shape of the US. Zelenskyy acknowledged that Ukraine is experiencing one of the most difficult moments historically.

Ukraine's Dialogue Team Formed for Upcoming Talks

In comments on Saturday, the president said that real or respectable resolution depends on assured safety and fairness. He revealed a negotiating team, appointed by presidential decree, that would soon meet American representatives in Switzerland, headed by top aide Andriy Yermak.

A additional delegate from Ukraine's team, former defence minister and national security council secretary Rustem Umerov, stated there would be discussions with the US "on the possible parameters of a future peace agreement".

Suggesting red lines, Umerov added: "Ukraine approaches this process with a clear understanding of its interests. 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."

Global Reaction and Concerns

Zelenskyy has attempted to participate positively with the US administration seemingly determined to resolve the war based on Russian conditions. He has emphasized 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 EU representatives 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, which rule out Ukraine's NATO accession and put conditions on its European Union membership.

Public Views in Kyiv

Responses from Ukrainians to the proposal, drawn up by a Russian representative and Trump’s representative, have been largely negative. Analysts argued it outlined a plan for another Russian invasion: not only of Ukraine but other European regions too.

Nayyem, a journalist and politician who led Ukraine’s 2014 pro-democracy Maidan revolution, said it invited parallels with the Munich Agreement. Trumps’s peace plan belonged to the same "recognisable genre", where the affected party is asked to outline its own surrender for broader convenience.

In a Facebook post, he said his anger by the complete pardon for Russian atrocities. It was an insult those who sought shelter in affected cities – where Russian troops executed hundreds of civilians – and families of deported children to Russia. "A rather cynical agreement," he concluded.

Speaking in Kyiv’s Golden Gate metro station, Dmytro Sariskyi, 21, commented that Russia had been trying to control Ukraine politically and territorially over many 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.

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 Ukraine's forces. Currently, there is no favorable solution, he noted.

Diverse Perspectives from the Public

Another passenger, 19-year-old Sofia Barchan, asserted that the country would "keep strong" lacking US backing. We will continue our struggle as needed. Our territory will remain our territory, including Crimea and the east. They are Ukrainian land." She said Zelenskyy was a "smart person" and predicted he would not give up Ukrainian land.

While speaking during rainfall, near a historical monument, Ivanovna mentioned she was grateful to the former US leader for his attempts to broker peace. She suggested that Ukraine should be ready ceding certain regions for a limited time if it meant maintaining US support. The president should conduct a public vote on this matter, she proposed.

EU Officials Condemn the Proposal

Former European heads of state have strongly criticized this proposal. Finland’s former prime minister Sanna Marin described it as a disaster, not only for Ukraine and Ukrainians but for democracies worldwide. She warned if the west showed weakness and ignorance – as it did in 2014 when Putin annexed Crimea – further hostilities could arise.

The former prime minister of Belgium, Verhofstadt, referenced Churchill’s definition regarding appeasement 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."