KYIV — President Volodymyr Zelensky disclosed Saturday that U.S. negotiators have raised the idea of Ukraine withdrawing its remaining forces from the eastern Donbas region in exchange for NATO membership, a proposal that would mark a dramatic shift in Washington’s approach to ending the war with Russia.
The U.S. has not confirmed Zelensky’s account. A U.S. official told the BBC that “many ideas continue to be discussed but any final deal will have to be agreed to by both parties.” The Ukrainian leader’s remarks, released by his office, followed a diplomatic push in which U.S. envoys met Russian President Vladimir Putin in Moscow before traveling to Dublin on Thursday to confer with Zelensky.
“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 said. He indicated that if he received a concrete proposal containing security guarantees, no constraints on Ukraine’s military and funds to rebuild the country, he would submit it to a national referendum.
Kyiv has long pursued membership in the military alliance, though Washington and other capitals previously opposed it, and Moscow has declared that another NATO member on its border is unacceptable. Russia launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022 and now controls most of the industrial Donbas region. Zelensky has consistently maintained that Ukraine will not surrender sovereign territory.
The disclosure underscores the delicate diplomacy underway as U.S. envoys Jared Kushner and Steve Witkoff shuttle between capitals. Any final agreement, U.S. officials insist, would require consent from both sides — leaving the contours of a possible settlement, and Ukraine’s territorial integrity, unresolved as talks continue.
