US floats Ukraine ceding Donbas in exchange for NATO membership, Zelensky says

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Ukrainian leader Volodymyr Zelensky says Kyiv has been asked if it would withdraw from the eastern Donbas region in return for becoming a member of NATO

Volodymyr Zelensky says that the United States has asked whether Ukraine would withdraw from the eastern Donbas region in return for NATO membership.

US envoys have been holding talks with Russia and Ukraine in a latest bid to bring about peace. Zelensky said that, if he received an official proposal that contained security guarantees, no constraints on Ukraine's military and funds to rebuild the country, he would put the suggestion to a referendum.

"The Americans raised a question: 'What if Ukraine joins NATO? Would Ukraine withdraw from Donbas?' This was the first time this had been raised," Zelensky said.

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Zelensky stressed that any arrangement would not involve recognizing occupied territories as Russian and he rejected the possibility of Ukraine committing to neutrality, saying that would require changing the country’s constitution.

“If Putin expects Ukraine’s neutrality to be enshrined, that’s not going to happen,” he said. “We’re not in NATO right now anyway.”

Zelensky told how Ukraine has already been discussing a full security package with its partners that would give specific guarantees from NATO and EU. It would also ensure a strong Ukrainian military, financial support for a specified period and a recovery plan, he said.

Meanwhile, the United States had also raised the possibility of a new security framework for Europe as part of efforts to end the war in Ukraine, said Zelensky - who warned that Moscow could use such discussions to weaken NATO and reshape the continent’s borders.

“In my view, this can be dangerous,” he told reporters, referring to the new security framework. “This should not be the main agenda.”

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