Zelenskyy: US Asks for First Time if Ukraine Would Leave Donbas in Exchange for NATO Membership
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy says the US has, for the first time, asked whether Ukraine would withdraw from the part of Donbas it controls if it were offered NATO membership. He stressed that no concrete proposals exist yet and the matter is under discussion.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy told journalists that during negotiations the American side asked, for the first time, whether Ukraine would be ready to pull its troops out of the part of Donbas that it controls in exchange for joining NATO, the North Atlantic military alliance. Interfax-Ukraine reported the remarks. Donbas is an eastern Ukrainian region whose territorial status is among the central questions in talks on ending the war with Russia.
Zelenskyy repeated that Ukraine does not retreat and does not give its land to terrorists. According to him, the Americans asked what would happen if Ukraine joined NATO, and whether it would then leave Donbas. He said this had never been asked before.
Security package
The president said Kyiv and its partners are discussing a comprehensive security package that could be put forward during negotiations. It would include concrete security guarantees from NATO and the European Union, a strong Ukrainian army — an appropriate number of troops, weapons and financial support for a defined period — and a Prosperity Plan, meaning a recovery plan funded from clearly identified sources.
Zelenskyy said that if the US confirms the idea together with other NATO members, he will ask Ukrainians for their opinion, since he has no right to decide alone. He added that specifics are still needed, that they do not exist yet, and that everything remains under discussion.
Earlier developments
On 11 November, Zelenskyy said the US was trying to find different ways to modify proposals for resolving the territorial issue in Donbas. Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty reported that US Secretary of State Marco Rubio had privately told Western counterparts he is unsure whether the war in Ukraine can be ended through negotiations or whether Kyiv will be able to join NATO in the near future. Rubio also warned that Russia taking all of Donbas would not satisfy the Kremlin's territorial ambitions.
