US proposes Ukraine withdraw from Donbas in exchange for NATO membership, reveals Zelenskyy

The United States (US) has proposed that Ukraine withdraws from the eastern Donbas region in exchange for a membership of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO), President Volodymyr Zelenskyy revealed on Friday, days trilateral talks between Washington, Moscow and Kyiv in Abu Dhabi.

Russia’s key demand has been that Ukraine must cede the Donbas region, which was once known as the industrial powerhouse of the erstwhile Soviet Union. However, Zelenskyy has underlined that Ukraine would not be giving up the region.

Speaking to reporters after an European Union (EU) Summit and US envoys Jared Kushner and Steve Witkoff’s visit to Moscow to meet President Vladimir Putin, Zelenskyy emphasised that any arrangement would not include recognising occupied territories as Russian. 

“The Americans raised a question: ‘What if Ukraine joins NATO? Would Ukraine withdraw from Donbas?’ This was the first time this had been raised,” Zelenskyy said, reiterating that Ukraine would not surrender its territory.

Also, Zelenskyy said that discussions also underway security package that would also include security guarantees for Ukraine, and a financial support package to rebuilding the country. For this, he said he is ready to hold a referendum. 

“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.

Ukraine won’t accept neutrality

In his remarks that were embargoed until Saturday, Zelenskyy said Ukraine would not commit to neutrality. He said this would need a change in the country’s constitution.

“If Putin expects Ukraine’s neutrality to be enshrined, that’s not going to happen,” he said. “We’re not in NATO right now anyway.”

He said Putin’s focus has been on “reopening broader questions about European security” rather than focusing on ending ongoing conflict that began in February 2022.

“Putin’s desire to change borders in Europe is a fact. I am sure this is part of his concept of revising security guarantees in Europe… This is dangerous because, in my view, it is precisely things like this that lead to wars or escalations,” he noted.

While negotiations continue, the conflict has continued along the 1,200-km front line. Russia’s bigger army has been held back by dogged Ukrainian resistance while Moscow’s drone and missile strikes on Ukraine’s energy facilities disrupted heat, electricity and water supplies to Ukrainian cities, sapping public morale in what Kyiv calls a “weaponisation of winter”.

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