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Ex-leader Donald Trump indicated on Saturday that his Russian-prepared proposal for peace was "not my final offer", after intense reaction from Ukraine's leaders and analysts who compared it to a 1938 Munich agreement involving Chamberlain and Hitler.

In short comments at the White House, Trump informed reporters: "We’d like to get to peace. It should’ve happened a long time ago … we are attempting to conclude it, in any case it must be resolved."

Upcoming Switzerland Talks Include Multiple Nations

US and Ukrainian officials will meet in Switzerland on Sunday for discussions on the plan. Security officials from Germany, France, and the UK are expected to join the talks in Geneva.

Prior to these discussions, US senators told media outlets that State Department head Rubio contacted them while en route to Geneva to clarify the details of this disclosed proposal. He said, this plan did not originate from the administration but instead a "wish list of the Russians", as reported by independent Maine senator Angus King, who serves on the Foreign Relations Committee.

Ukraine's President Faces Critical Time Limit

However, Trump has given Zelenskyy a deadline of Thursday to sign the 28-point document. It calls on Ukraine to give up territory it currently controls to Russia, reduce the size of its army, and surrender advanced weaponry. It also excludes a European peacekeeping force and penalties for Russian war crimes.

During a solemn address on Friday, the Ukrainian leader cautioned that Ukraine faces a difficult decision in the near future between preserving the nation's honor and losing key ally like the United States. He admitted that Ukraine is experiencing one of the most difficult moments in its history.

Ukrainian Dialogue Team Appointed for Upcoming Meetings

Speaking on Saturday, Zelenskyy emphasized that genuine or "dignified" resolution depends on "guaranteed security and justice". He announced a negotiating team, established through a decree, which will meet its US counterparts in Switzerland, headed by his chief of staff Andriy Yermak.

Another member from Ukraine's team, former defence minister and security council official Rustem Umerov, said there would be discussions with Washington regarding potential terms for a peace deal.

Suggesting red lines, Umerov added: "Ukraine approaches this process with a clear understanding of its interests. 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

Zelenskyy has sought to participate positively with the US administration apparently intent to resolve the war based on Russian conditions. He has made clear he cannot give up Ukraine’s sovereignty or disregard a constitution that protects Ukraine's territorial integrity.

At a meeting held in South Africa, leaders from the G20 and EU representatives released a collective declaration opposing Trump’s plan, stating it requires further refinement. The statement indicated that EU and Nato members would need to be consulted regarding certain clauses, which rule out Ukraine's NATO accession and impose terms on its European Union membership.

Public Views in Kyiv

Ukrainian reaction to the proposal, prepared by a Russian representative and a US delegate, has been overwhelmingly hostile. Analysts said it was a blueprint for another Russian invasion: not only of Ukraine but of other parts of Europe as well.

Mustafa Nayyem, a journalist and politician who led Ukraine’s 2014 pro-democracy Maidan revolution, remarked it invited parallels with Chamberlain’s infamous Munich deal. The proposal came from the same "recognisable genre", with the victim invited "to formulate his own defeat so everyone else can live easier".

In a Facebook post, Nayyem said his anger by the complete pardon for Russian atrocities. It was an insult people who had hidden in basements in affected cities – sites of civilian executions – and for those whose children had been forcibly deported to Russia. "A rather cynical agreement," he stated.

Speaking in Kyiv’s Golden Gate metro station, Dmytro Sariskyi, 21, commented that Russia has attempted to dominate Ukraine over many years. The agreement offered "barely anything" in the Trump agreement and maintained troops in Ukraine. In my view, this deal aims to undermine Ukraine and impose unfair terms, he said.

Should Ukraine accept the terms 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 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 that the president is intelligent and forecasted he would not cede territory.

Speaking in the rain, next to a replica of Kyiv’s original medieval gate, Olena Ivanovna mentioned her appreciation to Trump for his attempts to broker peace. She said that Ukraine should be ready ceding Crimea and the eastern Donbas region temporarily if it meant keeping America as a partner. The president should conduct a public vote on this matter, she proposed.

European Officials Condemn the Proposal

Previous European leaders have strongly criticized the plan. Ex-PM of Finland Marin called it a catastrophe, not only for Ukraine and Ukrainians but for "all of the democratic world". 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 a statement by Churchill regarding appeasement as "one who feeds a crocodile, hoping it will eat him last". He added: "Trump now takes Putin’s side. Europe faces a choice between compromise and principles. A critical juncture for the European Union."