Zelensky: Washington proposed ceding parts of Donbas in exchange for NATO membership

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said that American negotiators proposed the idea of Ukraine ceding parts of the Donbas region in the east of the country in exchange for membership in the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO), following the latest rounds of Russian-Ukrainian peace talks in Abu Dhabi and Ireland.

Zelensky explained, in remarks relayed by his office on Saturday, that this is the first time that linking NATO membership to making territorial concessions has been raised. He was quoted as saying: "The American side raised a question: what if Ukraine joined NATO? Would Ukraine withdraw from Donbas? That is why I believe NATO has returned to the agenda."

He said that the parts Washington asked about in Donbas are areas not controlled by Russia, and that he refused to cede any land.

He added: "The desire of (Russian President Vladimir) Putin to change borders in Europe is a fact. I am certain that this is part of his vision for revising security guarantees in Europe... this is dangerous because in my assessment things like this are what lead to wars or escalation."

He recalled that Putin has continued to describe Ukraine's membership in NATO as a red line for Moscow, and cited that as one of the reasons for the wide-scale war that began in 2022.

Zelensky added, however, that if Kyiv receives a comprehensive package that includes security guarantees, military financing, reconstruction financing and a recovery plan from the United States and other partners, he will put the question of ceding parts of Donbas to a national referendum. He said: "If the American side confirms this to us specifically, along with other partners in NATO, I will ask our Ukrainian society: do we accept or not?"

He stressed that any arrangement will not include recognition of the occupied territories as Russian, and he rejected the idea of obligating Ukraine to neutrality, saying that would require amending the constitution: "If Putin expects the enshrining of Ukraine's neutrality, that will not happen. We are not in NATO now anyway."

On the fighting front, Russian officials announced that about 1,200 Ukrainian drones were launched at the country during the night, with oil infrastructure among the targets, while Ukraine announced that a hospital and the port of Odesa had been hit by attacks.

In Ireland, European Union leaders agreed that Europe's team in any Ukrainian peace talks will include five major military powers — Britain outside the EU, France, Germany, Italy and Poland — in addition to European officials, and that these will hold talks with American and Ukrainian officials, not with Russia.