Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has said that American negotiators suggested his country could give up parts of the eastern Donbas region in exchange for NATO membership, revealing the proposal after the latest rounds of Russia-Ukraine peace talks in Abu Dhabi and Ireland.
In comments to reporters released by his office on Saturday, Zelenskyy said it was the first time the question of linking NATO membership to territorial concessions had been raised. "The Americans raised a question: 'What if Ukraine joins NATO? Would Ukraine withdraw from Donbas?" he said. "That is why I believe NATO is back on the agenda."
Zelenskyy said the parts of Donbas the US side asked about were areas that Russia does not control, and that he refused to cede any territory.
"[Russian President Vladimir] 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. "This is dangerous because, in my view, it is precisely things like this that lead to wars or escalations."
Putin has long described Ukrainian membership of NATO as a red line for Moscow, citing the issue as one of the reasons for launching Russia's full-scale invasion in 2022.
Zelenskyy said that if Ukraine received a comprehensive package, including security guarantees, military and reconstruction funds, and a recovery plan from the US and other partners, he would put the question of ceding parts of Donbas to a national referendum. "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 stressed that any arrangement would not involve recognising occupied territories as Russian, and he rejected the possibility of Ukraine committing to neutrality, saying such a step would require changing the country's constitution. "If Putin expects Ukraine's neutrality to be enshrined, that's not going to happen," he said. "We're not in NATO right now anyway."
The diplomatic push has not slowed the fighting. Russian officials reported on Friday that about 1,200 Ukrainian drones were fired at the country, with oil infrastructure among the targets, while Ukraine reported attacks on a hospital and the port of Odesa.
Meanwhile, at a summit in Ireland over recent days, EU leaders agreed that Europe's team for any Ukraine peace talks would comprise five major military powers, non-EU member Britain plus France, Germany, Italy and Poland, as well as EU officials. That group would hold talks with US and Ukrainian officials, but not with Russia.
