US negotiators have suggested that Ukraine could potentially give up territory in the eastern Donbas region in return for NATO membership, President Volodymyr Zelensky has said, introducing one of the most sensitive proposals yet discussed in peace talks with Russia.
Mr Zelensky said the idea of tying Ukraine’s membership of the alliance to territorial concessions was raised during negotiations in Abu Dhabi, marking the first time the issue had surfaced in talks with Moscow.
“The Americans raised a question: ‘What if Ukraine joins NATO? Would Ukraine withdraw from Donbas?'” he said in comments to reporters released by his office.
“That is why I believe NATO is back on the agenda. But you have also heard (Russian President Vladimir) Putin’s signals, and this is an extremely difficult conversation.”
Volodymyr Zelensky speaking in Dublin with US envoys Jared Kushner and Steve Witkoff
Mr Zelensky described the EU and NATO as Europe’s only “real security”, warning that the Kremlin’s efforts to reshape the continent’s security order could sow the seeds of further conflict.
“This is dangerous because, in my view, it is precisely things like this that lead to wars or escalations,” Mr Zelensky said.
“Real security in Europe means the EU and NATO. That’s it. There is no other security in Europe.”
Mr Putin has long regarded Ukrainian membership of NATO as a red line for Moscow and has cited the issue among the reasons Russia launched its full-scale invasion in 2022.
Mr Zelensky again said Kyiv was not prepared to surrender territory. However, he said he would take the question to a national referendum if Ukraine received a comprehensive package containing security guarantees, the right to maintain a strong, properly funded army and money for reconstruction.
‘This war must be ended first’
Echoing European leaders who spoke at the EPC summit in Dublin, Mr Zelensky rejected Russia’s demand for a wide-ranging agreement on Europe’s security architecture to come before detailed negotiations on ending the war in Ukraine.
Vladimir Putin has long said Ukrainian membership of NATO is a red line for Russia
“We cannot turn everything upside down and start by talking about changing the security framework in the world or across the continent overall, and only then talk about ending this war. This war must be ended first,” he said.
Mr Zelensky also dismissed Mr Putin’s proposal for a local humanitarian ceasefire in Kostiantynivka, a fiercely contested city in Ukraine’s eastern Donetsk region. He said the suggestion showed that Russia could not capture the city through military force.
Civilians there had already been given the opportunity to leave, he added.
“Putin simply wants us to leave Kostiantynivka so that they can move in and occupy the entire city that way,” he said.
Ukraine has identified seven or eight other frontline settlements where civilians, including children, remain trapped and could benefit from a humanitarian truce, Mr Zelensky said. Russia, he added, preferred to treat those locations as military targets.
Moscow denies deliberately targeting civilians in the war.
Large prisoner exchange agreed
Two days of US-brokered negotiations between Ukraine and Russia ended in the Emirati capital on Wednesday without a significant breakthrough. The sides did, however, agree to a prisoner exchange involving more than 1,000 people, Mr Zelensky said.
He added that the final number of people included in the swap was still being negotiated.
US peace envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner had promised to discuss an energy ceasefire with Mr Putin during their meeting in Moscow on Thursday, Mr Zelensky said. There was no announcement of progress after those talks.
“Putin personally does not support a ceasefire,” he said.
Mr Zelensky met Mr Witkoff and Mr Kushner in Ireland on Thursday, following their discussions in Moscow. He said the US negotiators told him that all sides had agreed Europe should have a place at the table in future peace talks.
European representatives, whose continent is now Ukraine’s largest financial and military backer, held discussions with US and Ukrainian officials in Abu Dhabi but did not participate in talks with Russia.
European leaders met in Dublin this week to discuss a range of issues
Mr Zelensky said Russia was “betting everything” on its campaign this winter and urged the US to approve a military package designed to pressure Mr Putin into ending the fighting.
“They are betting everything on this winter,” Mr Zelensky said. He argued that Congress passing legislation on “sanctions and weapons” would provide “the kind of motivation Putin needs” to de-escalate.
His comments came after EU leaders agreed that Europe would be represented at the next Ukraine peace talks by the E5 — Britain, France, Germany, Italy and Poland — alongside the bloc’s institutions.
European participation would signal a new stage in efforts to end the nearly five-year-old conflict, which has resisted repeated attempts by US President Donald Trump to broker a peace agreement.
European Commission president Ursula von der Leyen said the “path to peace” in Ukraine would be difficult.
Speaking after the informal meeting of the EU Council in Dublin yesterday, she said: “The best way to get Russia to the table is to keep up our support for Ukraine and to keep maximum pressure on Russia.
“This is why we will soon propose our 22nd package of sanctions, and before the next European Council, the commission will come forward with a proposal to close the financing gap in Ukraine for 2027.
“Let me be clear, the path to peace will not be easy but we will remain united – as we’ve been over the last five years – in our support for Ukraine and with the end goal clear in our minds.”
