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Former President Donald Trump stated this past weekend that his Russian-prepared proposal for peace constituted not his ultimate proposal, after fierce reaction from Ukraine's officials and analysts that compared it to the Munich pact of 1938 between Neville Chamberlain and Hitler.

In short remarks at the White House, Trump informed reporters: Our goal is to achieve peace. This should have occurred earlier … we are attempting to conclude it, in any case we have to get it ended."

Forthcoming Geneva Talks Involve Various Nations

Ukrainian and American officials are scheduled to meet in Geneva on Sunday to discuss the plan. Security officials from Germany, France, and the UK are expected to join the talks in Geneva.

Ahead of these discussions, US senators informed the press that Secretary of State Rubio reached out to them while en route to Geneva for clarification on the nature of the leaked plan. He said, the proposal "was not the administration’s plan" but rather a "wish list of the Russians", according to independent Maine senator King, who serves on the Senate Foreign Relations Committee.

Ukraine's President Faces Crucial Time Limit

Nevertheless, Trump has given Volodymyr Zelenskyy a deadline of Thursday to sign this multi-point agreement. The document requires Ukraine to give up territory under its control to Moscow, reduce its military forces, and surrender advanced weaponry. Additionally, it rules out international peacekeepers and sanctions for Russian war crimes.

During a solemn speech last Friday, the Ukrainian leader warned that Ukraine confronts an impossible choice in the near future between keeping the nation's honor and forfeiting a major partner in the shape of the US. He admitted that it faces an extremely challenging period historically.

Ukrainian Dialogue Team Appointed for Geneva Meetings

In comments on Saturday, the president emphasized that genuine or respectable peace was always based on "guaranteed security and justice". He revealed a negotiating team, appointed by presidential decree, that would soon meet its US counterparts in Geneva, led by his chief of staff Yermak.

Another member of the Ukrainian delegation, former defence minister and security council official Umerov, stated they will hold discussions with the US regarding potential terms for a peace deal.

Hinting at 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 Criticism

The Ukrainian president has attempted to participate positively with the US administration apparently intent to resolve the war on the Kremlin’s one-sided terms. He has made clear that he will not surrender the nation's independence or disregard the constitutional framework that protects Ukraine's territorial integrity.

During a summit held in South Africa, leaders from the G20 and the European Council released a collective declaration pushing back on the proposed deal, stating it requires further refinement. It said that EU and Nato members must be involved on some of its provisions, that exclude Kyiv’s Nato membership and put conditions on its European Union membership.

Citizen Views in Ukraine's Capital

Responses from Ukrainians to the text, prepared by a Russian representative and a US delegate, have been largely negative. Commentators said it outlined a plan for further Russian aggression: not only of Ukraine but other European regions too.

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 belonged to 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 his anger by its "full" amnesty for Russian war crimes. This offended people who had hidden in basements in Bucha or Mariupol – where Russian troops executed hundreds of civilians – and for those whose children had been forcibly deported to Russian territory. A deeply cynical deal, he concluded.

In an interview in Kyiv’s Golden Gate metro station, Sariskyi, a young adult, said that Moscow had been trying to dominate Ukraine "for years". It conceded very little in the proposed deal and maintained its forces on Ukrainian soil. In my view, this deal aims to undermine Ukraine and impose unfair terms, he remarked.

Should Ukraine accept the terms Kyiv would be forced to give up its freedoms, he added. If rejected, the US might cease collaboration and intelligence exchange, a crucial source of battlefield information for frontline Ukrainian troops. Currently, there is no favorable solution, he noted.

Varied Perspectives from Ukrainian Citizens

Another passenger, teenager Barchan, asserted that the country would "keep strong" without American support. 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 give up Ukrainian land.

While speaking during rainfall, next to a replica of Kyiv’s original medieval gate, Olena Ivanovna mentioned her appreciation to the former US leader for his peace-making efforts. She suggested that the nation ought to consider ceding Crimea and the eastern Donbas region for a limited time if it ensured keeping America as a partner. The president should conduct a public vote on this matter, she said.

EU Officials Criticize the Plan

Previous European leaders have roundly condemned the plan. Finland’s former prime minister Marin called it a catastrophe, 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, Verhofstadt, quoted Churchill’s definition of an appeaser as someone who accommodates an aggressor. He added: "Trump now takes Putin’s side. Europe faces a choice between compromise and principles. Another moment of truth for our [European] union."