Zelensky stated: For the first time, the US asked whether [Ukraine] would withdraw from Donbas in exchange for NATO membership! He will put an appropriate proposal to a referendum.

14.11.2026 15:00

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said that U.S. negotiators for the first time raised the idea of Ukraine withdrawing its forces from Donbas in exchange for Ukraine joining NATO. Zelenskyy stated that if a proposal comes that includes security guarantees, does not impose restrictions on the army, and provides funds for reconstruction, he will put it to a referendum. The statement came after Kushner and Witkoff's talks with Putin and Zelenskyy.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said that U.S. negotiators had raised the idea of Ukraine withdrawing its remaining forces in the eastern Donbas region in exchange for NATO membership. According to BBC, Zelenskyy said such a question had been put to them for the first time.

Zelenskyy told journalists on Saturday, 'The Americans asked a question: What happens if Ukraine joins NATO? Will Ukraine withdraw from Donbas? This came up for the first time,' he said.

A SUITABLE PROPOSAL WILL GO TO A REFERENDUM

The Ukrainian leader also said that if he receives a proposal that includes security guarantees, does not impose restrictions on the Ukrainian army, and provides funds for the country's reconstruction, he will put it to a referendum. Zelenskyy said the U.S. proposal gave him the impression that 'NATO is back on the agenda,' but spoke cautiously, saying, 'You have also heard Putin's signals; this is an extremely difficult conversation.'

AFTER THE KUSHNER AND WITKOFF FLURRY

The statement came after U.S. representatives Jared Kushner and Steve Witkoff met first with Russian President Vladimir Putin in Moscow and then with Zelenskyy on Thursday in Dublin, the capital of Ireland. U.S. officials had previously said that Ukraine's NATO membership was not on the table.

Kyiv has long seen NATO membership as a condition of a possible peace agreement to deter future threats. Russia, however, considers another NATO member on its border unacceptable and demands that Ukraine give up Donbas. Until now, Zelenskyy had argued that they were not ready to give up sovereign territory.

WHY DONBAS IS SYMBOLIC FOR KYIV

Russia currently controls about one-fifth of Ukraine's territory, including most of the Donetsk and Luhansk regions that make up Donbas. Although Ukraine's withdrawal from the small areas it still holds in the region would in practice be a small concession, it is symbolically very important for Kyiv because it would mean accepting Donbas as Russian territory.

Statements by Putin and Kremlin officials, however, show that Russia's position has not changed and that Moscow's demands regarding territory and neutrality remain far beyond what Ukraine is prepared to accept.

Source: BBC