US Proposed Donbas Swap for NATO Membership - Zelensky

US negotiators floated the idea of Ukraine withdrawing from its eastern region of Donbas in exchange for joining NATO, President Volodymyr Zelensky said on Saturday, marking a major turn in ongoing peace discussions.

The proposal surfaced during US-mediated peace talks between Ukrainian and Russian representatives in Abu Dhabi, according to remarks released by the Ukrainian leader’s office. It is the first time negotiators have formally linked the contentious issue of NATO membership to territorial concessions during the nearly five-year-old conflict.

“The Americans raised a question: ‘What if Ukraine joins NATO? Would Ukraine withdraw from Donbas?'” Zelensky said. “That is why I believe NATO is back on the agenda. But you have also heard Putin’s signals, and this is an extremely difficult conversation.”

NEW: The United States and Ukraine continue to view the involvement of European officials in future peace negotiations with Russia as necessary. Moscow, however, is willing to let European officials participate in talks only about a new European security architecture – not about… pic.twitter.com/TjZqDdYcfl

— Post by @TheStudyofWar on X

According to Al Jazeera, the specific portions of the Donbas region in question remain under Ukrainian control. Zelensky firmly rejected the notion of surrendering sovereign land, arguing that the Kremlin’s ambition to redraw European borders presents a severe regional danger.

“This is dangerous because, in my view, it is precisely things like this that lead to wars or escalations,” Zelensky said, emphasizing that the European Union and NATO represent Europe’s only true security architecture.

NEW: US proposals for Ukraine's possible NATO membership are implicit rejections of Russian demands to stop NATO expansion and reform the European security architecture. Moscow not only remains committed to its original 2021 ultimatums to the United States and NATO but is also… pic.twitter.com/hEb3G5WOZM

— Post by @TheStudyofWar on X

Zelensky Considers a National Vote on Territorial Questions

While ruling out an immediate surrender of territory, Zelensky said he would put the territorial question to a national public vote if Kyiv receives comprehensive support.

“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?”

US Proposed Donbas Swap for NATO Membership - Zelensky — Photo: The Guardian

The Ukrainian president stressed that any such deal would not include recognizing occupied territories as part of Russia.

Russian President Vladimir Putin has long maintained that Ukrainian membership in the Western military alliance crosses a red line for Moscow, serving as a primary justification for the full-scale invasion launched in 2022.

Zelenskyy: US proposed ceding Donbass for Nato membership — TRT World

Talks in Moscow and Dublin

Following the sessions in the United Arab Emirates, US peace envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner traveled to Moscow for meetings with Putin before heading to Dublin for further discussions with Zelensky.

According to The Guardian, Kushner said that the US was focused on facilitating direct engagement between Russia and European nations on the Ukraine war.