Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy says US negotiators asked whether Ukraine would consider withdrawing from the eastern Donbas region in exchange for NATO membership, according to CBS News. His account describes a question raised during negotiations, not an agreed territorial settlement or an approved invitation to join the alliance.
Speaking to journalists on Friday, Zelenskyy said it was the first time American negotiators had raised that particular exchange. He said any decision would depend on the security arrangements offered to Ukraine and would require consultation with Ukrainians.
Security guarantees central to any decision
Zelenskyy described discussions about a wider security package involving guarantees from NATO and the European Union, sufficient troops and weapons, and financial support. If those measures were offered, he said he would ask Ukrainians whether to accept the proposed exchange.
“I have no right to make that decision on my own,” he said, according to CBS. He did not specify whether consulting the public would mean holding a referendum.
The Ukrainian president said he had told US negotiators that guarantees modelled on NATO’s Article 5 would be the minimum acceptable protection. Article 5 sets out the alliance’s collective-defence principle that an attack on one member is considered an attack on all.
Donbas remains a central obstacle
Control of Donbas has remained a recurring obstacle in efforts to end the war. Russian President Vladimir Putin has previously demanded the withdrawal of Ukrainian forces from the region as a condition for a peace agreement, CBS reported.
In September 2022, Putin declared the annexation of four Ukrainian regions following votes in occupied territory that were widely dismissed as a sham. The United States and the United Nations have not recognised those annexations.
No agreement announced
Zelenskyy expressed uncertainty about whether the possible arrangement would work and said he needed more specific details about potential NATO membership.
The account reported by CBS does not establish that Ukraine has accepted a withdrawal, that NATO has approved membership, or that an agreement has been reached. The distinction between a negotiating question and a formal offer remains central to understanding the discussions.
