Volodymyr Zelenskyy has said the United States, for the first time, asked whether Ukraine would pull its forces out of parts of the Donbas region if Kyiv were granted NATO membership.
The Ukrainian president stressed that any arrangement reached in future negotiations would not involve recognising occupied territories as Russian. His comments were released by his office on Saturday.
Zelenskyy also claimed Washington had floated the possibility of a new security framework for Europe as part of efforts to end Russia's war in Ukraine, now in its fourth year and beyond.
He said he believed Moscow wanted to reopen wider questions about European security rather than concentrating solely on ending the fighting. "Putin's desire to change borders in Europe is a fact. I am sure this is part of his concept of revising security guarantees in Europe," he said, adding: "This is dangerous because, in my view, it is precisely things like this that lead to wars or escalations."
His remarks follow the latest round of peace talks in Abu Dhabi and come after US special envoy Steve Witkoff and Donald Trump's son-in-law Jared Kushner held meetings with Vladimir Putin in Moscow and with Zelenskyy in Dublin.
Ukraine still controls roughly a fifth of the Donetsk region, territory viewed as strategically vital because it anchors Kyiv's eastern defences. The core of the Ukrainian-held area is a 30-mile defensive network known as the "Fortress Belt".
Zelenskyy said Ukraine is discussing a comprehensive security package with its partners that could feature specific guarantees from NATO and the EU, a strong Ukrainian military, financial support for a defined period and a recovery plan. "If the American side confirms precisely this to us, together with other NATO partners, then I will ask our Ukrainian society what it thinks: do we accept it or not?" he said.
He also ruled out any commitment to neutrality for Ukraine and said Europe must determine its own future. He cautioned that broader talks on European security could give Putin an opening to push for changes to NATO's military posture, including the withdrawal of American troops, noting Putin had raised similar ideas with then-President Joe Biden in 2021 in pursuit of a redistribution of power in Europe and the world.
"I think Putin will bring up Finland and Sweden. I'm sure he will raise the issue of Hungary and the presence of American troops in the Baltic countries," Zelenskyy said.
The warnings come as Donald Trump, Xi Jinping and Vladimir Putin are due to meet on Thursday at the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation summit in China. German Chancellor Friedrich Merz said European leaders feared another "Anchorage moment," recalling the 2025 Alaska summit where they were stunned by Trump's overtures to Putin without Ukrainian or European envoys present. "Please, no surprises," Merz said. "Continue to play in Team Europe and in the team with Ukraine."
