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Ex-leader Donald Trump remarked on Saturday that his Moscow-drafted proposal for peace constituted not his ultimate proposal, after intense reaction from Ukrainian officials and analysts that compared it to a 1938 Munich agreement between Neville Chamberlain and Hitler.

In short remarks from the White House, Trump told journalists: "We’d like to get to peace. It should’ve happened a long time ago … we’re trying to get it ended, in any case it must be resolved."

Forthcoming Switzerland Negotiations Involve Multiple Countries

Ukrainian and American delegates are scheduled to meet in Switzerland on Sunday for discussions on this proposal. Defense representatives from Germany, France, and the UK will also participate in the talks there.

Ahead of the talks, US senators told media outlets that Secretary of State Rubio reached out to them during his travel to Switzerland for clarification on the details of this disclosed proposal. He said, this plan did not originate from the administration but instead a "wish list of the Russians", according to Senator King, who serves on the Foreign Relations Committee.

Ukraine's President Confronts Crucial Deadline

However, Trump has set Zelenskyy a deadline of Thursday to sign this multi-point agreement. The document requires Kyiv to cede territory it currently controls to Moscow, downsize the size of its army, and surrender advanced weaponry. Additionally, it rules out a European peacekeeping force and penalties for Russian war crimes.

In a sombre speech on Friday, Zelenskyy warned that his country confronts an impossible choice over the coming days involving keeping its national dignity and forfeiting key ally in the shape of the US. Zelenskyy acknowledged that it faces an extremely challenging period in its history.

Ukraine's Dialogue Team Formed for Upcoming Talks

Speaking this weekend, the president emphasized that genuine or respectable resolution was always based on assured safety and fairness. He revealed a negotiating team, appointed through a decree, which will meet its US counterparts in Switzerland, headed by top aide Yermak.

Another member from Ukraine's team, ex-defense head and national security council secretary Umerov, stated they will hold discussions with the US regarding potential terms for a peace deal.

Suggesting limits, he 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."

International Reaction and Criticism

Zelenskyy has sought to participate positively with a White House seemingly determined to resolve the war on the Kremlin’s one-sided terms. He has emphasized that he will not surrender Ukraine’s sovereignty or disregard a constitution that enshrines the country’s current borders.

During a summit held in South Africa, G20 leaders and the European Council released a joint statement opposing the proposed deal, stating it requires further refinement. The statement indicated that EU and Nato members 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.

Public Views in Ukraine's Capital

Ukrainian reaction to the text, prepared by a Russian representative and Trump’s representative, have been largely negative. Commentators argued it was a blueprint for further Russian aggression: not only of Ukraine but other European regions too.

Mustafa Nayyem, a public figure who led Ukraine’s 2014 pro-democracy Maidan revolution, remarked it drew comparisons with Chamberlain’s infamous Munich deal. The proposal 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 he was outraged by its "full" amnesty for Russian war crimes. 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 Russian territory. A deeply cynical deal, he stated.

In an interview in Kyiv’s Golden Gate metro station, Dmytro Sariskyi, a young adult, said that Moscow had been trying to control Ukraine politically and territorially "for years". It conceded very little 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 said.

Should Ukraine accept the terms it would be compelled 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 military intelligence for frontline Ukrainian troops. Currently, there is no favorable solution, he remarked.

Diverse Viewpoints from the Public

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

Speaking during rainfall, near a historical monument, Ivanovna said she was grateful to the former US leader for his attempts to broker peace. She said that the nation ought to consider ceding certain regions for a limited time if it ensured keeping America as a partner. "President Zelenskyy should hold a referendum and ask the people," she proposed.

EU Leaders Condemn the Plan

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 "all of the democratic world". She said if Western nations display vulnerability – as it did in 2014 when Putin annexed Crimea – "more aggression and conflicts" could arise.

Belgium's ex-PM, Guy Verhofstadt, quoted a statement by Churchill of an appeaser as "one who feeds a crocodile, hoping it will eat him last". He added: Trump aligns with Putin. Europe faces a choice between compromise and principles. Another moment of truth for our [European] union."