Ukraine NATO membership: Zelensky says US asked if Kyiv would withdraw from Donbas to join
Zelensky said he would put the question to a national referendum if the US and other NATO partners confirm a full package of guarantees.
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Ukraine NATO membership has been linked to a territorial question for the first time in the US-brokered talks, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said in remarks released by his office on Saturday. Reuters reported that the question was raised by American negotiators. “This is the first time the question of linking NATO membership to territorial concessions has been raised during the talks,” Zelensky said.
What Zelensky said on Donbas withdrawal
Zelensky said the Americans asked: “Would Ukraine withdraw from Donbas?”, according to Reuters. The Associated Press, via PBS, reported that the US asked whether Ukraine would withdraw from parts of the Donbas region in eastern Ukraine that Russia does not control if Kyiv were admitted to the alliance.
Zelensky added that “NATO is back on the agenda”. He also rejected neutrality, saying it would require changing the constitution, and reiterated that Kyiv would not surrender its territory. Al Jazeera reported that he would put the question of ceding parts of Donbas to a national referendum if Ukraine received a comprehensive package from the US and other partners.
Ukraine security guarantees and the ceasefire order
Zelensky said Ukraine is discussing a comprehensive package with its partners, which could include specific guarantees from NATO and the European Union, a strong Ukrainian military and financial support for a specified period. “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?” he said. He proposed a sequence of a ceasefire, an end to the war and then guarantees.
Ukraine NATO membership and the wider security framework
Zelensky said Washington had also raised a new security framework for Europe. “In my view, this can be dangerous,” he told reporters on Friday, and he said Russian President Vladimir Putin’s “desire to change borders in Europe is a fact”, according to AP. Reuters noted that Putin has long said Ukrainian membership of NATO is a red line for Moscow. European leaders have said decisions about the continent’s security must be made by Europeans themselves.
Key numbers
- More than 1,000: people involved in the prisoner exchange the two sides agreed, per Reuters via ThePrint.
- 22: people injured, including three children, in a Russian attack on Zaporizhzhia on Friday, per AP via PBS.
What happens next
Zelensky said no decision has been taken on Ukraine NATO membership terms and that he would consult Ukrainians only if Washington and other NATO partners confirm the offer. NIS earlier reported that the Kremlin rejected foreign peacekeeping troops in Ukraine after the Putin Witkoff talks, and that the White House confirmed Shenzhen talks on 19 November.
If Washington tied NATO membership to a Donbas pullout, it changes what Kyiv is being asked to trade for security. Zelensky's referendum remark shows any such deal would need public approval in Ukraine, and the wider framework he called dangerous could reshape European security.