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Former President Trump remarked on Saturday that his Russian-prepared peace plan was "not my final offer", following fierce reaction from Ukraine's officials and analysts who compared it to the 1938 Munich agreement involving Chamberlain and Hitler.

During short remarks at the White House, Trump told journalists: Our goal is to achieve peace. It should’ve happened a long time ago … we are attempting to conclude it, one way or the other it must be resolved."

Forthcoming Switzerland Talks Involve Multiple Nations

US and Ukrainian officials will meet in Switzerland on Sunday for discussions on the plan. Defense representatives from France, Britain and Germany will also participate in these negotiations in Geneva.

Prior to these discussions, US senators informed media outlets that State Department head Rubio reached out to them during his travel to Switzerland for clarification on the nature of this disclosed proposal. According to him, the proposal did not originate from the administration but instead reflected Russian desires, as reported by independent Maine senator King, a member on the Foreign Relations Committee.

Ukraine's President Faces Crucial Deadline

Nevertheless, Trump has given Volodymyr Zelenskyy until Thursday to sign the 28-point document. It calls on Ukraine to cede land it currently controls to Moscow, downsize the size of its army, and relinquish long-range weapons. It also rules out a European peacekeeping force and penalties for atrocities committed by Russia.

In a sombre speech on Friday, the Ukrainian leader cautioned that his country faces a difficult decision over the coming days involving preserving the nation's honor and forfeiting key ally like the United States. He admitted that it faces one of the most difficult moments in its history.

Ukraine's Negotiating Team Appointed for Geneva Talks

Speaking on Saturday, the president said that genuine or "dignified" peace depends on assured safety and fairness. He announced a negotiating team, established through a decree, that would soon meet its US counterparts in Geneva, led by top aide Yermak.

Another member of the Ukrainian delegation, former defence minister and national security council secretary Rustem Umerov, said they will hold discussions with the US "on the possible parameters of a future peace agreement".

Hinting at limits, Umerov 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."

Global Response and Concerns

The Ukrainian president has sought to engage constructively with a White House 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 the constitutional framework that enshrines Ukraine's territorial integrity.

At a meeting in South Africa, G20 leaders and the European Council issued a collective declaration opposing the proposed deal, stating it needs further refinement. It said that EU and Nato members would need to be consulted regarding certain clauses, that exclude Kyiv’s Nato membership and put conditions on its future EU accession.

Public Opinion in Ukraine's Capital

Responses from Ukrainians to the text, prepared by a Russian representative and Trump’s representative, has been overwhelmingly hostile. Analysts argued it was a blueprint for further Russian aggression: not only of Ukraine but of other parts of Europe as well.

Mustafa Nayyem, a journalist and politician who led the 2014 Maidan protests, remarked it invited parallels with Chamberlain’s infamous Munich deal. Trumps’s peace plan belonged to a similar category, with the victim invited "to formulate his own defeat so everyone else can live easier".

On social media, Nayyem expressed his anger by its "full" amnesty for Russian war crimes. This offended people who had hidden in basements in affected cities – sites of civilian executions – and for those whose children had been forcibly deported to Russian territory. A deeply cynical deal, he concluded.

Speaking in a Kyiv subway station, Sariskyi, a young adult, said that Russia has attempted to dominate Ukraine over many years. It conceded "barely anything" in the Trump agreement and maintained its forces on Ukrainian soil. "I think the deal is an attempt to break Ukraine and force unjust conditions on us," he said.

If Zelenskyy signed off on the proposals it would be compelled to sacrifice its liberties, he said. If it didn’t, the US might cease collaboration and intelligence exchange, a crucial source of battlefield information for frontline Ukrainian troops. Currently, there is no favorable solution, he noted.

Varied Viewpoints from the Public

Another passenger, teenager Sofia Barchan, asserted that the country would remain resilient lacking US backing. "We will fight for as long as it takes. Our territory will remain our territory, including Crimea and the east. It belongs to Ukraine." She said Zelenskyy was a "smart person" and forecasted he would not cede territory.

While speaking during rainfall, next to a replica of Kyiv’s original medieval gate, Olena Ivanovna said she was grateful to Trump for his peace-making efforts. She suggested that Ukraine should be ready ceding certain regions temporarily if it meant maintaining US support. The president should conduct a public vote on this matter, she proposed.

European Officials Criticize the Proposal

Previous European leaders have strongly criticized this proposal. Ex-PM of Finland 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, Guy Verhofstadt, referenced a statement by Churchill of an appeaser as someone who accommodates an aggressor. He continued: "Trump now takes Putin’s side. Europe must choose again: appeasement or our values, imperialism or freedom. A critical juncture for the European Union."