Staff Report
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said the United States has raised the possibility of Ukraine joining NATO if Kyiv withdraws from the remaining parts of Donbas it still controls. The proposal, which Zelenskyy said was raised for the first time, would link NATO membership to territorial concessions in negotiations to end the war with Russia.
Speaking to reporters Friday in comments released Saturday, Zelenskyy quoted the American question as: “What if Ukraine joins NATO? Would Ukraine withdraw from Donbas?” He said the suggestion made him believe NATO membership was “back on the agenda,” though no concrete agreement has been reached.
No deal without the Ukrainian people
Zelenskyy stressed that he has no right to decide such an arrangement on his own. If the American position is confirmed together with other NATO partners, he said, he would ask Ukrainian society whether to accept or reject it. Any final deal, he added, would not include recognition of Russian-occupied Ukrainian territories as part of Russia.
“I have said repeatedly: Ukraine is not retreating and is not giving up its land to terrorists,” Zelenskyy said. Moscow currently occupies most of the Donetsk and Luhansk regions that make up Donbas and has previously demanded territorial concessions, limits on Ukraine’s military, and guarantees that Kyiv remains outside NATO.
A broader security package
The Ukrainian president said Kyiv and its Western partners are discussing a comprehensive security package. It would include specific guarantees from NATO and the European Union, a strong Ukrainian military with sufficient personnel, weapons, and financing, and a reconstruction plan with clearly defined funding.
He warned that Russia is seeking a broader revision of Europe’s security architecture, describing the issue as dangerous. “Real security in Europe means the EU and NATO. That’s it. There is no other security in Europe,” he said. He suggested Russian President Vladimir Putin could raise issues involving Finland, Sweden, Hungary, and the presence of US troops in the Baltic states.
Recent diplomacy
The comments come after Ukraine and Russia held US-mediated talks in Abu Dhabi on Nov. 10-11. American envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner later met Putin in Moscow and Zelenskyy in Dublin. Zelenskyy said the Abu Dhabi talks produced an agreement on the largest prisoner exchange of the war, a commitment to continue negotiations, and plans to include European representatives in future talks.
He also said an agreement to stop attacks on energy infrastructure was discussed but not reached. Russian negotiators told the Ukrainian delegation they did not have authority to agree to such a measure and that the issue should be discussed directly with Putin. Zelenskyy said Putin personally does not support the cease-fire.
Kostyantynivka proposal rejected
Zelenskyy also rejected a Russian proposal for a humanitarian mission in Kostyantynivka, accusing Moscow of trying to use the initiative to gain control of the city. He said fighting was continuing inside the city and that those remaining were armed Ukrainians and Russian forces. If Ukraine gave up Kostyantynivka, he argued, Russia could next move toward Kramatorsk and Sloviansk.
He said Russian troops had failed to capture Kostyantynivka for about a year and a half and claimed Russia suffered 54,000 killed or seriously wounded troops in October.
