Zelenskyy says U.S. raised Donbas-for-NATO idea

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said U.S. negotiators asked whether Ukraine would withdraw from the eastern region of Donbas in exchange for NATO membership, according to CBS News. Zelenskyy said the question was raised for the first time during discussions.

"The Americans raised a question: "What if Ukraine joins NATO? Would Ukraine withdraw from Donbas?" This was the first time this had been raised," Zelenskyy said, as quoted by CBS News.

Zelenskyy said he was discussing a "security package" for Ukraine that included security guarantees from NATO and the European Union, an "adequate number of troops, weapons" as well as financial support. He said if these measures are offered, he would ask Ukrainians whether to accept the potential exchange. He did not specify if he meant a referendum, but added "I have no right to make that decision on my own."

Zelenskyy said he told U.S. negotiators Ukraine would need security guarantees modelled on NATO's Article 5 "as an asbolute minimum." That article sets out a key principle for the military alliance, whereby an attack on one of the member-states is considered an attack on all other members. He added he was "not sure it would necessarily work," and said he needed more specific details on the potential membership.

Control over the Donbas region, much of which has been occupied by Russia since the start of the war, has been a recurring sticking point in negotiations to end the conflict. Russian President Vladimir Putin has previously demanded that Ukraine pull its forces out of the Donbas region as a precondition for a peace agreement. After staging elections dismissed by most of the world as a sham in occupied parts of the Donbas region, Putin declared in September 2022 that four regions of eastern Ukraine had also been annexed by Russia. None of the annexations have been recognized by the U.S. or the United Nations, and most countries consider them illegal landgrabs.

France 24 reported that the United States suggested Ukraine make territorial concessions in exchange for a NATO membership, according to Zelensky. The outlet also reported that this week's U.S.-mediated negotiations did not result in any tangible progress, and that Zelenskyy claims Russia has rejected an energy truce.

Sources

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