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Ex-leader Donald Trump stated on Saturday that the Russian-prepared peace plan constituted "not my final offer", after intense reaction from Ukraine's leaders and commentators that likened it to the 1938 Munich agreement involving Neville Chamberlain and Adolf Hitler.

In brief comments at the White House, Trump told reporters: Our goal is to achieve peace. This should have occurred earlier … we are attempting to conclude it, one way or the other it must be resolved."

Forthcoming Switzerland Talks Include Various Countries

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

Ahead of these discussions, US senators informed the press that Secretary of State Rubio contacted them during his travel to Switzerland to clarify the nature of the leaked plan. He said, this plan did not originate from the administration but rather reflected Russian desires, according to independent Maine senator King, a member on the Foreign Relations Committee.

Ukraine's President Faces Critical Deadline

Nevertheless, Trump has set Volodymyr Zelenskyy until Thursday for signing the 28-point document. It calls on Kyiv to cede territory under its control to Russia, downsize the size of its army, and surrender long-range weapons. Additionally, it excludes a European peacekeeping force and sanctions for Russian war crimes.

During a solemn speech on Friday, the Ukrainian leader cautioned that his country faces a difficult decision in the near future between 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 historically.

Ukrainian Dialogue Team Appointed for Upcoming Talks

In comments on Saturday, the president said that genuine or "dignified" peace was always based on assured safety and fairness. He announced a negotiating team, established through a decree, which will meet its US counterparts in Switzerland, led by his chief of staff Andriy Yermak.

Another member of the Ukrainian delegation, ex-defense head and security council official Rustem Umerov, stated there would be consultations with Washington "on the possible parameters of a future peace agreement".

Hinting at limits, he noted: "Ukraine approaches this process with a clear understanding of its interests. This represents a continuation of recent discussions focused on harmonizing our plans for future actions."

International Response and Concerns

Zelenskyy has sought to participate positively with the US administration seemingly determined to end the conflict based on Russian conditions. He has made clear that he will not surrender Ukraine’s sovereignty or abandon a constitution that protects the country’s current borders.

At a meeting in South Africa, leaders from the G20 and EU representatives issued a joint statement pushing back on the proposed deal, saying it requires further refinement. It said that EU and Nato members would need to be consulted regarding certain clauses, that exclude Kyiv’s Nato membership and impose terms on its future EU accession.

Citizen Opinion in Kyiv

Ukrainian reaction to the proposal, prepared by Putin’s envoy and a US delegate, has been overwhelmingly hostile. Commentators said it was a blueprint for another Russian invasion: targeting not just Ukraine but other European regions as well.

Nayyem, a journalist and politician who led the 2014 Maidan protests, said it invited parallels with the Munich Agreement. Trumps’s peace plan came from a similar category, with the victim invited "to formulate his own defeat so everyone else can live easier".

In a Facebook post, Nayyem expressed his anger by the complete pardon for Russian atrocities. It was an insult people who had hidden in basements 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 a Kyiv subway station, Dmytro Sariskyi, 21, said that Russia had been trying to dominate Ukraine 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 it would be compelled to give up its freedoms, he said. If it didn’t, the US might cease collaboration and intelligence exchange, a vital resource of battlefield information for frontline Ukrainian troops. "There is no good way out of this for now," he remarked.

Diverse Perspectives from Ukrainian Citizens

Another passenger, teenager Barchan, said that the country 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 expressed that the president is intelligent and forecasted he would not give up Ukrainian land.

While speaking during rainfall, near a historical monument, Ivanovna mentioned her appreciation to Trump for his attempts to broker peace. She suggested that Ukraine should be ready ceding Crimea and the eastern Donbas region for a limited time if it meant maintaining US support. "President Zelenskyy should hold a referendum and ask the people," she proposed.

European Officials Criticize the Proposal

Former European heads of state have roundly condemned this proposal. Ex-PM of Finland Sanna Marin called it a disaster, affecting not just Ukraine but for democracies worldwide. She said if Western nations display vulnerability – similar to the 2014 Crimea annexation – "more aggression and conflicts" could arise.

Belgium's ex-PM, Verhofstadt, referenced Churchill’s definition of an appeaser as someone who accommodates an aggressor. He added: "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."