Zelensky says US floated Donbas withdrawal in exchange for NATO membership
Ukraine's president says the idea of trading occupied territory for alliance membership has been raised for the first time, and he would put any package to a referendum.
KYIV — US negotiators have floated the idea of Ukraine withdrawing its remaining forces from the eastern Donbas region in exchange for membership of NATO, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has said, putting the alliance back at the centre of efforts to end the war.
Zelensky said in remarks released by his office on Saturday that the proposal was raised for the first time during the latest round of US-brokered talks, and that he would submit any resulting settlement to a national referendum.
"The Americans raised a question: 'What if Ukraine joins Nato? Would Ukraine withdraw from Donbas?' This was the first time this had been raised," Zelensky said. "That is why I believe NATO is back on the agenda. But you have also heard Putin's signals, and this is an extremely difficult conversation."
Washington has not confirmed his account. A US official told the BBC that "many ideas continue to be discussed but any final deal will have to be agreed to by both parties".
Envoys shuttle between Moscow and Dublin
US envoys Jared Kushner and Steve Witkoff met Zelensky in the Irish capital, Dublin, on Thursday, after holding talks with Russian President Vladimir Putin in Moscow. Their trip followed two days of trilateral talks in Abu Dhabi that ended on Wednesday.
Those Emirati talks yielded agreement on a large-scale prisoner exchange but no breakthrough on ending the war, which is approaching its fifth year. Russia's chief negotiator, Vladimir Medinsky, told a news conference that both sides had reached "mutual understanding" on some issues, while Kushner called the meeting "very tough but productive" and said progress had been made on a post-war security framework.
Kyiv has long sought NATO membership, a step previously opposed by Washington and other allies and described by Moscow as a red line. Russia, which launched its full-scale invasion in February 2022, now controls most of the industrial Donbas.
Terms and red lines
Zelensky reiterated that Kyiv was not ready to concede territory, but said he would put a comprehensive package to a referendum if it contained security guarantees, no constraints on Ukraine's armed forces and funds for reconstruction.
He also rejected Putin's proposal for a local humanitarian ceasefire in the contested eastern city of Kostiantynivka, saying civilians there had already had the chance to evacuate and that Moscow wanted Ukrainian forces to leave so it could occupy the city. Ukraine has offered a list of seven or eight other frontline settlements for a potential truce, he said. Moscow denies deliberately targeting civilians.
Zelensky pushed back on Russia's insistence on a broad new European security architecture first. "This war must be ended first," he said.