Zelensky says US raised possibility of Ukraine withdrawing from Donbas for NATO membership
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said that US negotiators raised the possibility of Ukraine withdrawing from its eastern Donbas region in exchange for NATO membership during the latest round of peace talks with Russia in Abu Dhabi.
Speaking to reporters in remarks released by his office on Saturday, Zelensky said the Americans raised a question: "What if Ukraine joins NATO? Would Ukraine withdraw from Donbas?" He said this was the first time this had been raised.
Zelensky reiterated that Kyiv was not willing to retreat from its territory. He said that if Ukraine received a comprehensive security package, including security guarantees, a strong and well-funded Ukrainian army and funds to rebuild, he would put the question to a referendum.
He said Ukraine was discussing "specific security guarantees from NATO and the EU" and that if Western countries confirmed them, "then I will ask our Ukrainian society what it thinks: do we accept it or not? I have no right to make that decision on my own."
Zelensky said the EU and NATO are Europe's only "real security", warning the Kremlin's bid to change the continent's security architecture could lead to more wars. "This is dangerous because, in my view, it is precisely things like this that lead to wars or escalations," Zelensky told reporters Friday in comments under embargo until Saturday. "Real security in Europe means the EU and NATO. That's it. There is no other security in Europe."
Russia and Ukraine held their first US-mediated talks in nine months on Tuesday, as Washington stepped up efforts to find a way to end the war. US Secretary of State Marco Rubio described the meeting as "very productive", while Zelensky called the discussions "constructive and quite substantive". The two-day meeting was the first round of such talks since February.
The discussions come amid the ongoing Russian invasion of Ukraine, which has lasted four-and-a-half years and killed hundreds of thousands of soldiers and thousands of civilians, according to analysts and humanitarian organisations.
Zelensky said the possibility of NATO membership had brought the alliance back into discussions, but acknowledged that reaching an agreement would be difficult given Russian President Vladimir Putin's position. "That is why I believe NATO is back on the agenda. But you have also heard (Russian President Vladimir) Putin's signals, and this is an extremely difficult conversation," Reuters reported.
In a separate report, Bloomberg quoted Zelensky as saying that he would seek the Ukrainian public's opinion if the US formally confirmed the proposal along with other NATO partners. "If the American side confirms precisely this to us, together with other NATO partners, then I will ask our Ukrainian society what it thinks: do we accept it or not?" Zelenskyy said. "I have no right to make that decision on my own."
American special envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner, son-in-law of US President Donald Trump, were pictured with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky in Dublin on November 12, 2026.
