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Ex-leader Donald Trump remarked on Saturday that the Moscow-drafted proposal for peace was not his ultimate proposal, after intense backlash from Ukraine's leaders and commentators who likened it to the 1938 Munich agreement involving Neville Chamberlain and Adolf Hitler.

In brief comments at the White House, the US president informed journalists: "We’d like to get to peace. This should have occurred earlier … we’re trying to get it ended, one way or the other we have to get it ended."

Forthcoming Switzerland Negotiations Include Multiple Nations

US and Ukrainian delegates are scheduled to meet in Switzerland on Sunday to discuss this proposal. Defense representatives from Germany, France, and the UK will also participate in these negotiations in Geneva.

Ahead of these discussions, American lawmakers told media outlets that Secretary of State Rubio reached out to them while en route to Geneva to clarify the nature of this disclosed proposal. He said, the proposal did not originate from the administration but rather a "wish list of the Russians", according to Senator King, a member on the Foreign Relations Committee.

Ukraine's President Faces Crucial Time Limit

Nevertheless, the former president has set Volodymyr Zelenskyy until Thursday for signing the 28-point document. It calls on Kyiv to cede land under its control to Russia, downsize its military forces, and relinquish advanced weaponry. It also excludes international peacekeepers and penalties for Russian war crimes.

In a sombre address last Friday, the Ukrainian leader cautioned that his country confronts an impossible choice over the coming days between preserving its national dignity and losing key ally in the shape of the US. He admitted that it faces an extremely challenging period in its history.

Ukraine's Negotiating Team Appointed for Geneva Meetings

In comments on Saturday, the president said that genuine or "dignified" peace depends on assured safety and fairness. He revealed a negotiating team, appointed by presidential decree, which will meet its US counterparts in Switzerland, led by his chief of staff Yermak.

Another member from Ukraine's team, ex-defense head and national security council secretary Rustem Umerov, stated they will hold discussions with Washington "on the possible parameters of a future peace agreement".

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

Global Response and Concerns

The Ukrainian president has sought to participate positively with the US administration apparently intent to resolve the war on the Kremlin’s one-sided terms. He has made clear that he will not surrender the nation's independence or disregard a constitution that protects Ukraine's territorial integrity.

During a summit in South Africa, leaders from the G20 and EU representatives released a collective declaration opposing the proposed deal, saying it needs "additional work". The statement indicated that members of the EU and NATO must be involved on some of its provisions, that exclude Kyiv’s Nato membership and put conditions on its future EU accession.

Public Opinion in Ukraine's Capital

Ukrainian reaction to the proposal, prepared by a Russian representative and a US delegate, have been largely negative. Analysts argued it outlined a plan for further Russian aggression: targeting not just Ukraine but other European regions as well.

Mustafa Nayyem, a public figure involved in the 2014 Maidan protests, said it invited parallels with Chamberlain’s infamous Munich deal. Trumps’s peace plan came from the same "recognisable genre", with the victim invited "to formulate his own defeat so everyone else can live easier".

On social media, Nayyem 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 families of deported children to Russian territory. A deeply cynical deal, he stated.

In an interview in Kyiv’s Golden Gate metro station, Sariskyi, a young adult, commented that Russia has attempted to control Ukraine politically and territorially "for years". It conceded "barely anything" in the Trump agreement and continued to keep its forces on Ukrainian soil. In my view, this deal aims to undermine Ukraine and impose unfair terms, he said.

If Zelenskyy signed off on the proposals 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 vital resource of battlefield information for Ukraine's forces. "There is no good way out of this for now," he remarked.

Diverse Viewpoints from the Public

A different commuter, teenager Barchan, asserted that Ukraine would remain resilient 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 that the president is intelligent and predicted he would not give up Ukrainian land.

While speaking in the rain, next to a replica of Kyiv’s original medieval gate, Olena Ivanovna said she was grateful to Trump for his attempts to broker peace. She suggested that the nation ought to consider ceding 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 Leaders Condemn the Plan

Previous European leaders have roundly condemned the plan. Finland’s former prime minister Sanna Marin called it a disaster, not only for Ukraine and Ukrainians but for democracies worldwide. She warned if Western nations display vulnerability – similar to the 2014 Crimea annexation – further hostilities could arise.

Belgium's ex-PM, Verhofstadt, quoted a statement by Churchill of an appeaser as someone who accommodates an aggressor. He added: Trump aligns with Putin. Europe faces a choice between compromise and principles. Another moment of truth for our [European] union."