Politics
Zelenskyy: U.S. Floated Ukraine NATO Membership in Exchange for Donbas Withdrawal
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said the U.S. raised the idea of Ukraine joining NATO if it withdraws from the Donbas, a proposal he says would require a public vote and no recognition of Russian-occupied territory. The White House and State Department did not immediately comment.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said Friday that the United States has floated a proposal under which Ukraine would join NATO in exchange for withdrawing from the Donbas region, the first time such an idea has been raised in peace negotiations.
Speaking to reporters a day after meeting with U.S. envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner in Dublin, Zelenskyy recounted the American question: "What if Ukraine joins NATO? Would Ukraine withdraw from Donbas?" He said it was the first time the proposal had been put forward.
The Donbas, in Ukraine's far east along the Russian border, was declared annexed by Moscow in 2022 following its full-scale invasion. Russian troops occupy the vast majority of the region.
Zelenskyy rejected the notion of ceding territory outright, saying he has repeatedly stated that "Ukraine is not retreating and is not giving up its land to terrorists." But he also outlined conditions under which any deal could be considered, including a "comprehensive security package" with specific guarantees from NATO and the European Union, a strong Ukrainian army with adequate troops, weapons and financial support for a set period, and a recovery plan with clear funding attached.
"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? I have no right to make that decision on my own," Zelenskyy said. He added that any arrangement would be "without any recognition of the occupied territories as Russian."
The president cautioned that details remain unresolved. "But we need specifics, and we don't have them yet. All of this is still under discussion," he said.
The White House and U.S. State Department did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
The idea of Ukraine giving up the Donbas has featured in previous proposals from President Donald Trump's administration, including a 28-part peace plan put forward by the White House in 2025. Russian President Vladimir Putin has separately demanded that Ukraine abandon its NATO aspirations and accept strict limits on the size of its military.
The latest disclosure comes as European leaders press for a role in negotiations and as Kyiv seeks binding security commitments from Western allies. For communities across Ukraine, the question of territorial concessions remains deeply sensitive, and Zelenskyy's insistence on a public referendum signals that any deal involving land would face intense domestic scrutiny.