Ukraine: According to Zelensky, USA proposes withdrawal from Donbass – for NATO accession

Kyiv. According to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, US negotiators have brought Ukraine's renunciation of Donbass into play in return for NATO membership. This happened at the latest round of peace talks with Russia in Abu Dhabi, according to Zelensky's statements to journalists, which his presidential office published on Saturday.

It was the first time that the question of NATO membership was linked to territorial concessions during the talks. "The Americans raised the question: 'What if Ukraine joins NATO? Would Ukraine withdraw from Donbass?'" he said.

Zelensky reiterated his position that the Ukrainian government was not ready to cede territories. However, if Ukraine receives a comprehensive package that includes security guarantees, the right to a strong and well-financed army and funds for reconstruction, he would put the question to a national referendum.

Russian President Vladimir Putin has repeatedly described Ukrainian NATO membership as a red line and cited it as one of his motives for Russia's invasion in 2022.

The two-day US-brokered talks in Abu Dhabi ended on Wednesday without a major breakthrough. However, both sides had agreed on a prisoner exchange that would include more than 1,000 people, said Zelensky.

The exact numbers are still being negotiated. Zelensky rejected a local humanitarian ceasefire proposed by Putin for the hard-fought town of Kostiantynivka in the Donetsk region. The proposal shows Russia's inability to take the city by force.

In addition, there is no news about progress on a possible ceasefire for the energy sector, Zelensky explained. US envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner wanted to raise this issue at a meeting with Putin on Thursday in the Russian capital. “Putin personally does not support a ceasefire,” Zelensky said.

The Ukrainian president rejected Russian demands to agree on a comprehensive European security architecture before the details of ending the war were clarified. “This war must be ended first,” he emphasized. European heads of state and government made the same statement at a summit in Dublin on Friday.

Zelensky met with Witkoff and Kushner in Ireland on Thursday after their talks in Russia. The US negotiators informed him that all sides had agreed to bring European representatives to the negotiating table in future peace talks.

In Abu Dhabi, the delegates from Europe had not yet sat at the table with the Russian side. At the summit in Ireland, the EU states agreed that the European negotiating team should consist of the five major military powers - the non-EU member Great Britain as well as France, Germany, Italy and Poland - as well as representatives of the EU.