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Former President Trump stated on Saturday that his Moscow-drafted peace plan constituted "not my final offer", following fierce criticism from Ukraine's officials and commentators that compared it to a 1938 Munich agreement involving Chamberlain and Adolf Hitler.

During short comments at the White House, Trump informed reporters: 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 we have to get it ended."

Upcoming Switzerland Negotiations Include Multiple Nations

US and Ukrainian officials are scheduled to meet in Geneva this Sunday for discussions on the plan. Defense representatives from Germany, France, and the UK are expected to join the talks in Geneva.

Ahead of the talks, American lawmakers informed media outlets that State Department head Marco Rubio contacted them during his travel to Switzerland to clarify the nature of the leaked plan. According to him, the proposal "was not the administration’s plan" but rather reflected Russian desires, as reported by independent Maine senator King, who serves on the Foreign Relations Committee.

Zelenskyy Confronts Crucial Time Limit

However, Trump has given Zelenskyy until Thursday for signing this multi-point agreement. It calls on Ukraine to give up territory it currently controls to Moscow, reduce the size of its army, and relinquish advanced weaponry. It also rules out a European peacekeeping force and sanctions for Russian war crimes.

In a sombre speech on Friday, the Ukrainian leader warned that Ukraine faces an impossible choice in the near future between keeping the nation's honor and forfeiting key ally like the United States. Zelenskyy acknowledged that Ukraine is experiencing one of the most difficult moments historically.

Ukrainian Negotiating Team Formed for Geneva Talks

Speaking this weekend, the president emphasized that genuine or respectable resolution was always based on "guaranteed security and justice". He revealed a negotiating team, established through a decree, which will meet its US counterparts in Switzerland, led by top aide Yermak.

A additional delegate of the Ukrainian delegation, ex-defense head and national security council secretary Umerov, said there would be consultations with Washington "on the possible parameters of a future peace agreement".

Hinting at limits, Umerov added: 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."

International Response and Criticism

Zelenskyy has sought to participate positively with the US administration seemingly determined to resolve the war based on Russian conditions. He has emphasized he cannot give up the nation's independence or disregard a constitution that enshrines Ukraine's territorial integrity.

At a meeting held in South Africa, G20 leaders and the European Council released a collective declaration opposing Trump’s plan, saying it requires further refinement. It said that EU and Nato members would need to be consulted on some of its provisions, that exclude Kyiv’s Nato membership and put conditions on its European Union membership.

Citizen Views in Kyiv

Responses from Ukrainians 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 of other parts of Europe as well.

Mustafa Nayyem, a journalist and politician involved in Ukraine’s 2014 pro-democracy Maidan revolution, said it invited parallels with the Munich Agreement. Trumps’s peace plan came from a similar category, where the affected party is asked "to formulate his own defeat so everyone else can live easier".

On social media, Nayyem said he was outraged by the complete pardon for Russian atrocities. This offended those who sought shelter in Bucha or Mariupol – where Russian troops executed hundreds of civilians – and families of deported children to Russia. "A rather cynical agreement," he concluded.

In an interview in a Kyiv subway station, Sariskyi, a young adult, commented that Moscow has attempted to control Ukraine politically and territorially "for years". The agreement offered "barely anything" in the proposed deal and continued to keep 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 it would be compelled to give up its freedoms, he said. If it didn’t, the US might cease collaboration and intelligence exchange, a crucial source of military intelligence for frontline Ukrainian troops. Currently, there is no favorable solution, he remarked.

Diverse Viewpoints from the Public

A different commuter, teenager 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 that the president is intelligent and predicted he would not cede territory.

While speaking during rainfall, near a historical monument, Olena Ivanovna mentioned her appreciation to Trump for his peace-making efforts. She suggested that the nation should be ready to give away certain regions temporarily if it meant keeping America as a partner. "President Zelenskyy should hold a referendum and ask the people," she said.

European Officials Criticize the Plan

Previous European leaders have strongly criticized this proposal. Ex-PM of Finland Sanna Marin called it a disaster, affecting not just Ukraine but for democracies worldwide. She warned if Western nations display vulnerability – as it did in 2014 when Putin annexed Crimea – "more aggression and conflicts" would follow.

The former prime minister of Belgium, Verhofstadt, referenced Churchill’s definition of an appeaser as "one who feeds a crocodile, hoping it will eat him last". 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."