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Ex-leader Trump indicated on Saturday that the Russian-prepared peace plan was "not my final offer", following intense criticism from Ukraine's officials and commentators that likened it to a Munich pact of 1938 between Neville Chamberlain and Adolf Hitler.

During brief remarks from the White House, the US president informed reporters: "We’d like to get to peace. This should have occurred earlier … we are attempting to conclude it, one way or the other it must be resolved."

Forthcoming Switzerland Talks Involve Various Nations

US and Ukrainian officials are scheduled to meet in Switzerland this Sunday to discuss this proposal. Security officials from Germany, France, and the UK will also participate in the talks there.

Ahead of these discussions, American lawmakers told media outlets that State Department head Rubio contacted them during his travel to Geneva to clarify the nature of this disclosed proposal. According to him, the proposal did not originate from the administration but rather reflected Russian desires, as reported by Senator Angus King, a member on the Senate Foreign Relations Committee.

Zelenskyy Confronts Crucial Time Limit

Nevertheless, Trump has given Zelenskyy until Thursday to sign the 28-point document. The document requires Ukraine to cede territory under its control to Russia, downsize the size of its army, and relinquish advanced weaponry. Additionally, it rules out a European peacekeeping force and sanctions for Russian war crimes.

In a sombre speech on Friday, the Ukrainian leader warned that Ukraine confronts an impossible choice in the near future involving preserving the nation's honor and losing key ally in the shape of the US. He admitted that it faces one of the most difficult moments in its history.

Ukrainian Dialogue Team Appointed for Geneva Talks

In comments on Saturday, the president emphasized that real or respectable resolution depends on "guaranteed security and justice". He announced a delegation, appointed by presidential decree, which will meet its US counterparts in Geneva, led by top aide Yermak.

A additional delegate of the Ukrainian delegation, ex-defense head and security council official Rustem Umerov, said they will hold discussions with the US "on the possible parameters of a future peace agreement".

Suggesting red lines, 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 Criticism

The Ukrainian president has attempted to engage constructively with the US administration apparently intent to end the conflict 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 held in South Africa, leaders from the G20 and EU representatives issued a joint statement pushing back on the proposed deal, saying it requires "additional work". It said that members of the EU and NATO would need to be consulted on some of its provisions, which rule out Kyiv’s Nato membership and impose terms on its European Union membership.

Citizen Views in Ukraine's Capital

Responses from Ukrainians to the text, drawn up by a Russian representative and a US delegate, have been largely negative. Commentators said it outlined a plan for further Russian aggression: not only of Ukraine but other European regions too.

Nayyem, a journalist and politician involved in Ukraine’s 2014 pro-democracy Maidan revolution, remarked it drew comparisons with Chamberlain’s infamous Munich deal. The proposal came from a similar category, where the affected party is asked "to formulate his own defeat so everyone else can live easier".

In a Facebook post, he 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 families of deported children to Russian territory. A deeply cynical deal, he stated.

In an interview in a Kyiv subway station, Sariskyi, a young adult, commented that Russia had been trying to dominate Ukraine "for years". It conceded "barely anything" in the Trump agreement and maintained 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 it didn’t, the US might cease collaboration and intelligence exchange, a vital resource of military intelligence for frontline Ukrainian troops. "There is no good way out of this for now," he noted.

Diverse Viewpoints from Ukrainian Citizens

A different commuter, 19-year-old Sofia Barchan, said that the country would remain resilient lacking US backing. "We will fight for as long as it takes. Crimea and the eastern regions are part of Ukraine. They are Ukrainian land." She said that the president is intelligent and predicted he would not cede territory.

While speaking in the rain, next to a replica of Kyiv’s original medieval gate, Ivanovna mentioned she was grateful to the former US leader for his peace-making efforts. She said that the nation should be ready to give away certain regions for a limited time if it ensured maintaining US support. "President Zelenskyy should hold a referendum and ask the people," she said.

European Leaders Criticize the Plan

Former European heads of state have roundly condemned the plan. Finland’s former prime minister Sanna Marin called it a catastrophe, affecting not just Ukraine but for democracies worldwide. She said if the west showed weakness and ignorance – as it did in 2014 when Putin annexed Crimea – further hostilities would follow.

Belgium's ex-PM, Guy Verhofstadt, referenced a statement by Churchill regarding appeasement as "one who feeds a crocodile, hoping it will eat him last". He continued: Trump aligns with Putin. Europe must choose again: appeasement or our values, imperialism or freedom. Another moment of truth for our [European] union."