Zelensky says US floated Ukraine ceding Donbas for NATO membership
Ukraine's president says American negotiators raised withdrawing from the eastern Donbas in exchange for joining NATO, calling the idea 'back on the agenda.'
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said US negotiators have floated the idea of Ukraine withdrawing its remaining forces from the eastern Donbas region in exchange for joining NATO, an offer he said marked the first time the proposal had been raised.
Zelensky's remarks, released by his office, followed a round of US-mediated talks with Russia in Abu Dhabi this week and meetings with US envoys in Dublin. The United States has not confirmed his account of the discussions.
"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."
A referendum, if conditions are met
Zelensky said he remained unwilling to give up sovereign territory. But he added that if Ukraine received a comprehensive security package — including security guarantees, a strong and well-funded army, and funds to rebuild the country — he would put the question to a referendum. He said any such package would need to be confirmed by the United States and Ukraine's NATO allies before it could go to voters, and that specifics did not yet exist.
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." US envoys Jared Kushner and Steve Witkoff travelled to Dublin on Thursday to meet Zelensky, after a round of talks with Russian President Vladimir Putin in Moscow.
Hours after Zelensky's remarks, Kushner appeared to dampen talk of any US offer of NATO membership, urging "confidentiality" in what he called a sensitive process.
Talks in Abu Dhabi
The US-mediated talks between Russian and Ukrainian delegations were held in Abu Dhabi on Tuesday and Wednesday, with Witkoff and Kushner attending. Russia's delegation was led by Kremlin aide Vladimir Medinsky, and Ukraine's by Rustem Umerov.
Russia launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022 and currently controls most of the industrial Donbas. Kyiv has long sought NATO membership, which the United States and other members have previously opposed, while the Kremlin has said another NATO member on its border is unacceptable. Other NATO members remain wary of Ukrainian membership, and Ukraine itself is understood to see it as unrealistic.
Comments by Putin and Kremlin officials suggest Russia's position has not shifted. Moscow has previously proposed limits on the size of Ukraine's military, territorial concessions and Kyiv's guaranteed neutrality as conditions of a peace deal, proposals Ukraine has rejected.