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Ex-leader Trump indicated on Saturday that the Russian-prepared peace plan constituted not his ultimate proposal, after intense backlash from Ukraine's leaders and analysts who compared it to a 1938 Munich agreement between Neville Chamberlain and Hitler.

During brief comments from the White House, the US president informed reporters: Our goal is to achieve peace. This should have occurred earlier … we’re trying to get it ended, one way or the other it must be resolved."

Forthcoming Geneva Negotiations Involve Multiple Nations

US and Ukrainian delegates will meet in Switzerland on Sunday for discussions on the plan. Security officials from Germany, France, and the UK will also participate in these negotiations there.

Prior to these discussions, US senators informed media outlets that Secretary of State Marco Rubio reached out to them during his travel to Switzerland for clarification on the nature of this disclosed proposal. He said, the proposal "was not the administration’s plan" but instead reflected Russian desires, as reported by Senator Angus King, a member on the Senate Foreign Relations Committee.

Ukraine's President Faces Critical Time Limit

Nevertheless, the former president has set Volodymyr Zelenskyy a deadline of Thursday to sign the 28-point document. It calls on Kyiv to give up land under its control to Russia, downsize the size of its army, and relinquish long-range weapons. It also excludes a European peacekeeping force and penalties for atrocities committed by Russia.

During a solemn address on Friday, the Ukrainian leader warned that his country confronts a difficult decision over the coming days between keeping its national dignity and forfeiting key ally like the United States. Zelenskyy acknowledged that it faces one of the most difficult moments historically.

Ukrainian Negotiating Delegation Appointed for Upcoming Meetings

Speaking on Saturday, Zelenskyy said that genuine or respectable resolution was always based on assured safety and fairness. He revealed a negotiating team, established by presidential decree, that would soon meet its US counterparts in Switzerland, headed by top aide Andriy Yermak.

A additional delegate of the Ukrainian delegation, former defence minister and security council official Rustem Umerov, said they will hold consultations with the US regarding potential terms for a peace deal.

Hinting at red lines, Umerov added: 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."

Global Reaction and Concerns

Zelenskyy has sought to engage constructively with a White House apparently intent to resolve the war based on Russian conditions. He has made clear he cannot give up the nation's independence or abandon the constitutional framework that protects Ukraine's territorial integrity.

During a summit held in South Africa, leaders from the G20 and the European Council released a joint statement pushing back on the proposed deal, saying it requires further refinement. It said that members of the EU and NATO must be involved on some of its provisions, that exclude Ukraine's NATO accession and put conditions on its European Union membership.

Public Views in Kyiv

Ukrainian reaction to the proposal, prepared by Putin’s envoy and a US delegate, have been largely negative. Commentators argued it outlined a plan for another Russian invasion: targeting not just Ukraine but of other parts of Europe as well.

Mustafa Nayyem, a journalist and politician who led the 2014 Maidan protests, remarked it drew comparisons with the Munich Agreement. 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 expressed he was outraged by its "full" amnesty for Russian war crimes. This offended those who sought shelter in Bucha or Mariupol – where Russian troops executed hundreds of civilians – and families of deported children to Russia. "A rather cynical agreement," he stated.

Speaking in Kyiv’s Golden Gate metro station, Sariskyi, 21, commented that Moscow had been trying to dominate Ukraine over many years. It conceded very little 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 remarked.

If Zelenskyy signed off on the proposals it would be compelled to give up its freedoms, he said. If it didn’t, the US would most likely break off cooperation and intelligence sharing, a vital resource of battlefield information for frontline Ukrainian troops. "There is no good way out of this for now," he noted.

Diverse Perspectives from Ukrainian Citizens

Another passenger, teenager Barchan, asserted that Ukraine would remain resilient lacking US backing. We will continue our struggle as needed. Crimea and the eastern regions are part of Ukraine. They are Ukrainian land." She said Zelenskyy was a "smart person" and predicted he would not cede territory.

Speaking in the rain, next to a replica of Kyiv’s original medieval gate, Ivanovna said her appreciation to the former US leader for his attempts to broker peace. She said that Ukraine should be ready ceding certain regions temporarily if it ensured keeping America as a partner. The president should conduct a public vote on this matter, she proposed.

EU Officials Criticize the Proposal

Previous European leaders have roundly condemned this proposal. Ex-PM of Finland Sanna Marin called it a catastrophe, affecting not just Ukraine but for democracies worldwide. She warned if Western nations display vulnerability – as it did in 2014 when Putin annexed Crimea – "more aggression and conflicts" could arise.

Belgium's ex-PM, Verhofstadt, referenced Churchill’s definition of an appeaser as "one who feeds a crocodile, hoping it will eat him last". He continued: Trump aligns with Putin. Europe faces a choice between compromise and principles. Another moment of truth for our [European] union."