Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said on Friday that US negotiators had raised the possibility of Ukraine withdrawing from its eastern Donbas region in exchange for joining NATO, following the latest round of peace talks with Russia in Abu Dhabi.
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.
“The Americans raised a question: ‘What if Ukraine joins NATO? Would Ukraine withdraw from Donbas?’ This was the first time this had been raised,” Zelensky told reporters in remarks released by his office on Saturday.
“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.”
Zelensky open to referendum on Donbas withdrawal
Zelensky said any such package would need to be confirmed by the United States and Ukraine’s NATO allies before it could go to voters, and that specifics did not yet exist, according to the Kyiv Post. He also ruled out legally recognizing any occupied Ukrainian territory as Russian, and said Putin could not be trusted.
The Ukrainian president has reportedly called security guarantees modeled on NATO’s Article 5, under which an attack on one member is treated as an attack on all, the minimum Ukraine would need under any settlement.
US-mediated Russia-Ukraine talks in Abu Dhabi
US-mediated talks between Russian and Ukrainian delegations were held in Abu Dhabi on Tuesday and Wednesday, with US envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner attending.
Russia’s delegation was led by Kremlin aide Vladimir Medinsky, and Ukraine’s by Rustem Umerov.
The White House said the talks had made progress toward a large-scale prisoner exchange, but the two sides remained divided over territory and postwar security guarantees.