US negotiators asked Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy to consider giving up territory in the Donbas in exchange for Nato membership, he has said.
Zelenskyy told journalists that the possibility of withdrawing from the eastern region had been raised for the first time during discussions with American officials.
“The Americans raised a question: ‘What if Ukraine joins NATO? Would Ukraine withdraw from Donbas?’ This was the first time this had been raised,” he said.
He said the proposal formed part of wider discussions about a “security package” for Ukraine, including guarantees from Nato and the European Union, an adequate number of troops and weapons, and financial support.
Zelenskyy said that if such measures were offered, he would ask Ukrainians whether they accepted the potential exchange. He did not specify whether that would involve a referendum, but said: “I have no right to make that decision on my own.”
Control of the Donbas has been a central obstacle in efforts to end the war. Much of the region has been occupied by Russia since the conflict began, while Russian President Vladimir Putin has previously demanded that Ukrainian forces withdraw as a condition of a peace agreement.
Putin declared four eastern Ukrainian regions annexed by Russia in September 2022 after elections held in occupied areas that were dismissed by most of the world as a sham. The annexations have not been recognised by the United States or the United Nations, and most countries regard them as illegal land seizures.
Zelenskyy said he had told the US negotiators that Ukraine would require security guarantees modelled on Nato’s Article 5 as a minimum. The provision establishes that an attack on one member of the alliance is treated as an attack on all members, although he said he was not certain such an arrangement would work and wanted more precise details about the proposed membership.
