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Former President Donald Trump remarked on Saturday that the Moscow-drafted proposal for peace was not his ultimate proposal, following intense criticism from Ukraine's leaders and analysts who compared it to the Munich pact of 1938 involving Neville Chamberlain and Adolf Hitler.

During brief remarks from the White House, Trump told journalists: 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 it must be resolved."

Upcoming Geneva Negotiations Include Various Countries

Ukrainian and American officials are scheduled to meet in Geneva on Sunday to discuss this proposal. Security officials from France, Britain and Germany are expected to join the talks there.

Ahead of these discussions, US senators informed 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, the proposal "was not the administration’s plan" but rather a "wish list of the Russians", as reported by Senator King, who serves on the Foreign Relations Committee.

Ukraine's President Confronts Critical Time Limit

Nevertheless, the former president has set Zelenskyy until Thursday to sign this multi-point agreement. It calls on Ukraine to give up land it currently controls to Moscow, reduce its military forces, and surrender advanced weaponry. Additionally, it excludes international peacekeepers and penalties for atrocities committed by Russia.

During a solemn speech on Friday, Zelenskyy warned that Ukraine confronts an impossible choice in the near future involving keeping the nation's honor and forfeiting key ally in the shape of the US. He admitted that Ukraine is experiencing one of the most difficult moments historically.

Ukraine's Negotiating Delegation Formed for Upcoming Talks

Speaking on Saturday, Zelenskyy emphasized that genuine or "dignified" peace depends on "guaranteed security and justice". He announced a negotiating team, established by presidential decree, which will meet its US counterparts in Switzerland, led by top aide Andriy Yermak.

A additional delegate of the Ukrainian delegation, former defence minister and national security council secretary Umerov, said they will hold discussions with Washington "on the possible parameters of a future peace agreement".

Suggesting limits, he 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."

Global Reaction and Concerns

The Ukrainian president has attempted to participate positively with the US administration seemingly determined to end the conflict based on Russian conditions. He has emphasized he cannot give up the nation's independence or disregard a constitution that protects the country’s current borders.

During a summit held in South Africa, G20 leaders and EU representatives issued a collective declaration pushing back on the proposed deal, stating it needs "additional work". The statement indicated that EU and Nato members would need to be consulted on some of its provisions, that exclude Ukraine's NATO accession and impose terms on its future EU accession.

Citizen Opinion in Kyiv

Responses from Ukrainians 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: targeting not just Ukraine but of other parts of Europe as well.

Mustafa Nayyem, a journalist and politician who led Ukraine’s 2014 pro-democracy Maidan revolution, said it invited parallels with Chamberlain’s infamous Munich deal. The proposal came from a similar category, where the affected party is asked to outline its own surrender for broader convenience.

On social media, Nayyem said he was outraged by the complete pardon for Russian atrocities. It was an insult those who sought shelter in Bucha or Mariupol – sites of civilian executions – and families of deported children to Russian territory. "A rather cynical agreement," he stated.

In an interview in Kyiv’s Golden Gate metro station, Dmytro Sariskyi, a young adult, said that Moscow had been trying to dominate Ukraine over many years. The agreement offered very little in the proposed deal and maintained troops in Ukraine. In my view, this deal aims to undermine Ukraine and impose unfair terms, he remarked.

If Zelenskyy signed off on the proposals Kyiv would be forced to give up its freedoms, he said. If rejected, the US might cease collaboration and intelligence exchange, a vital resource of battlefield information for frontline Ukrainian troops. Currently, there is no favorable solution, he remarked.

Varied Perspectives from Ukrainian Citizens

A different commuter, teenager Sofia Barchan, asserted that the country would "keep strong" 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 forecasted he would not give up Ukrainian land.

While speaking in the rain, next to a replica of Kyiv’s original medieval gate, Ivanovna said her appreciation to Trump for his peace-making efforts. She said that the nation should be ready 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 the plan. Finland’s former prime minister Marin described it as a disaster, affecting not just Ukraine but for "all of the democratic world". She said if Western nations display vulnerability – similar to the 2014 Crimea annexation – "more aggression and conflicts" could arise.

Belgium's ex-PM, Guy Verhofstadt, referenced Churchill’s definition regarding appeasement as "one who feeds a crocodile, hoping it will eat him last". He added: "Trump now takes Putin’s side. Europe must choose again: appeasement or our values, imperialism or freedom. A critical juncture for the European Union."