Zelenskyy: US Floats Ukraine Ceding Land to Russia in Exchange for NATO Membership

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said on Friday that the United States has proposed a scenario in which Ukraine would give up territory in exchange for membership of NATO, the North Atlantic military alliance. The suggestion came as part of ongoing efforts to end the war with Russia. According to Zelenskyy, American officials asked whether Ukraine would withdraw from Donbas if it joined the alliance, and he said this was the first time the question had been put. His remarks were embargoed until Saturday, the AFP news agency reported.

Zelenskyy said Kyiv is discussing "specific security guarantees" with NATO and the European Union. Should Western countries confirm them, he would put the terms to Ukrainians. "I have no right to make that decision on my own," he said.

Background

Earlier this week, Russian President Vladimir Putin met US special envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner in Moscow. During the talks Putin signalled that Russia would not back down on its territorial demands over parts of Ukraine, and he rejected the idea of foreign peacekeeping troops being deployed in the country.

On Thursday, the US envoys met Zelenskyy in Ireland to discuss the diplomatic effort. The three announced that Europe would from now on have a "voice" in peace negotiations. Kushner wrote on X that this would allow broader postwar European security arrangements to be addressed alongside the territorial issues between Ukraine and Russia.

Moscow's response

Russian foreign ministry spokesperson Maria Zakharova said on Friday that, as far as her department knew, the issue was not discussed during the talks with Witkoff and Kushner in Moscow. Presidential aide Yuri Ushakov said the position of the Europeans had been comprehensively outlined. He added that they are striving by every means to join the negotiations but, as Putin has said, must decide whether they want peace or a continuation of the war.