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Former President Donald Trump indicated on Saturday that the Russian-prepared proposal for peace was "not my final offer", after intense criticism from Ukrainian leaders and analysts that likened it to a Munich pact of 1938 involving Neville Chamberlain and Adolf Hitler.

In brief remarks from the White House, Trump informed journalists: "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 Negotiations Involve Multiple Nations

Ukrainian and American officials will meet in Geneva this Sunday to discuss this proposal. Defense representatives from Germany, France, and the UK are expected to join the talks there.

Prior to these discussions, American lawmakers told media outlets that State Department head Marco Rubio contacted them during his travel to Switzerland to clarify the nature of this disclosed proposal. He said, this plan "was not the administration’s plan" but instead reflected Russian desires, according to Senator King, a member on the Foreign Relations Committee.

Ukraine's President Faces Critical Time Limit

Nevertheless, the former president has given Zelenskyy until Thursday for signing the 28-point document. It calls on Ukraine to give up land under its control to Moscow, reduce the size of its army, and relinquish advanced weaponry. It also rules out international peacekeepers and sanctions for Russian war crimes.

In a sombre address last Friday, the Ukrainian leader warned that his country faces a difficult decision over the coming days between preserving the nation's honor and forfeiting a major partner like the United States. Zelenskyy acknowledged that Ukraine is experiencing an extremely challenging period historically.

Ukrainian Negotiating Delegation Formed for Upcoming Meetings

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

A additional delegate from Ukraine's team, ex-defense head and security council official Umerov, said they will hold discussions with Washington regarding potential terms for a peace deal.

Suggesting limits, he 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."

International Reaction and Criticism

The Ukrainian president has attempted to participate positively with a White House seemingly determined to resolve the war on the Kremlin’s one-sided terms. He has made clear that he will not surrender Ukraine’s sovereignty or disregard the constitutional framework that enshrines Ukraine's territorial integrity.

During a summit in South Africa, G20 leaders and EU representatives issued a collective declaration pushing back on Trump’s plan, stating it requires "additional work". The statement indicated that members of the EU and NATO would need to be consulted on some of its provisions, which rule out Ukraine's NATO accession and put conditions on its European Union membership.

Citizen Opinion in Kyiv

Responses from Ukrainians to the text, drawn up by Putin’s envoy and Trump’s representative, have been largely negative. Commentators argued it outlined a plan for another Russian invasion: not only of Ukraine but other European regions as well.

Nayyem, a public figure involved in the 2014 Maidan protests, remarked it invited parallels with the Munich Agreement. Trumps’s peace plan belonged to the same "recognisable genre", with the victim invited to outline its own surrender for broader convenience.

In a Facebook post, he expressed his anger by the complete pardon for Russian atrocities. It was an insult people who had hidden in basements in affected cities – where Russian troops executed hundreds of civilians – and for those whose children had been forcibly deported to Russia. A deeply cynical deal, he stated.

In an interview in Kyiv’s Golden Gate metro station, Sariskyi, 21, said that Moscow has attempted to dominate Ukraine over many years. It conceded very little in the Trump agreement and maintained troops in Ukraine. In my view, this deal aims to undermine Ukraine and impose unfair terms, he said.

If Zelenskyy signed off on the proposals Kyiv would be forced to give up its freedoms, he said. If it didn’t, the US would most likely break off cooperation and intelligence sharing, a crucial source of battlefield information for Ukraine's forces. Currently, there is no favorable solution, he remarked.

Diverse Perspectives from the Public

A different commuter, 19-year-old Barchan, asserted that the country 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 expressed Zelenskyy was a "smart person" and forecasted he would not cede territory.

Speaking in the rain, near a historical monument, Ivanovna mentioned her appreciation to the former US leader for his attempts to broker peace. She suggested that the nation ought to consider ceding Crimea and the eastern Donbas region temporarily if it ensured keeping America as a partner. "President Zelenskyy should hold a referendum and ask the people," she said.

European Officials Criticize the Proposal

Previous European leaders have strongly criticized this proposal. Ex-PM of Finland Marin called it a disaster, not only for Ukraine and Ukrainians but for democracies worldwide. She said if the west showed weakness and ignorance – 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 someone who accommodates an aggressor. He added: Trump aligns with Putin. Europe must choose again: appeasement or our values, imperialism or freedom. Another moment of truth for our [European] union."