US representatives have asked Ukraine for the first time whether it would consider withdrawing its troops from Donbas in exchange for NATO membership. President Volodymyr Zelensky said that if such a proposal were formally presented, he would be ready to engage in an open dialogue with Ukrainian society.
This was reported by Interfax-Ukraine, citing Zelensky’s statement.
“The Americans asked a question: ‘What if Ukraine were in NATO? Would Ukraine withdraw from Donbas?’ This was the first time. We are discussing with our partners a comprehensive security package that could be offered to us during the negotiations: specific security guarantees from NATO and the EU, and a strong Ukrainian army,” the president said.
Zelensky emphasized that if a concrete proposal emerged, he would explain its terms and the position of international partners to the public.
“If such a proposal is made, I, as president, will enter into an open dialogue with society and say: ‘Look, this is where we stand, this is how all our partners have come together, and this is how they see the way forward.’ Of course, without any recognition of the occupied territories as belonging to Russia,” Zelensky said.
The US side has not yet commented on the Ukrainian president’s remarks.
US, Ukraine and Russia negotiations
Zelensky met with US President Donald Trump’s representatives, Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner, in Dublin. The American negotiators arrived there from Moscow after meeting with Vladimir Putin.
Earlier, on November 10–11, representatives of Ukraine, the United States and Russia held their first trilateral consultations since February in Abu Dhabi.
In November, Kushner began promoting an approach under which the terms for ending the war would be discussed simultaneously with the future architecture of European security.
According to Axios, US mediators urged Moscow to present updated proposals rather than repeat the demands it put forward in late 2021.
Russia continues to demand the withdrawal of Ukrainian troops from Kyiv-controlled areas of Donbas. Ukraine considers this condition unacceptable.
American negotiators acknowledge that the territorial issue remains the most difficult obstacle in the search for a peaceful settlement.
