The term "surrender" is widely used by critics, including high-level Ukrainian officials, because the plan appears to demand that Ukraine permanently relinquish core elements of its sovereignty and security.
- Territorial Cessions: The plan requires Ukraine to cede not just occupied territory, but the entireDonbas region, including areas Ukrainian forces currently control and have defended at immense cost. This is seen as a violation of the UN Charter and international law, which prohibits acquiring territory by force.
- Military Disarmament: Capping Ukraine's military size (reportedly around 400,000 personnel, less than half its current strength) and banning long-range weapons leaves the country vulnerable to future Russian aggression, effectively disarming it in the face of an ongoing threat.
- Lack of Reciprocity: Analysts from the Institute for the Study of War note that the draft plan contains no clear Russian concessions, other than an agreement to cease the current aggression, which would essentially formalize their gains.
- Undermining Sovereignty: Preventing Ukraine from joining NATO or other alliances is viewed as a severe infringement on its sovereign right to choose its own security path.
One European official described the draft plan as "a surrender document", while Ukraine's envoy to the UN outright rejected it as an "absurd surrender demand".
