US floated idea of Ukraine ceding Donbas for NATO membership in Russia deal

Detailed summary

US mediators raised Nato membership in exchange for a Ukrainian withdrawal from Donbas during Abu Dhabi peace talks. The proposal introduced territorial concessions into alliance discussions as both sides privately acknowledged the need for compromise.

The United States has floated a proposal linking Ukraine's potential membership of the Nato military alliance to its withdrawal from the eastern Donbas region, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said, revealing a new dimension to the ongoing US-brokered peace negotiations with Russia.

The proposal was raised during the latest round of talks in Abu Dhabi, where US, Ukrainian and Russian representatives discussed possible terms to end the nearly four-year war. Zelenskyy said it was the first time Washington had explicitly linked the question of Nato membership with territorial concessions during the negotiations.

"The Americans raised a question: 'What if Ukraine joins Nato? Would Ukraine withdraw from Donbas?" Zelenskyy said in remarks to reporters released by his office on Saturday.

He added that the proposal had brought Nato membership back into the discussions, although he acknowledged that reaching an agreement would be difficult given Russian President Vladimir Putin's longstanding opposition to Ukraine joining the alliance.

Putin has repeatedly described Nato's expansion and the prospect of Ukraine becoming a member as security threats to Russia. Moscow has cited the issue among its justifications for launching its full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022.

Zelenskyy reiterated that Kyiv was not prepared to surrender territory. However, he said he could put a comprehensive peace package to a national referendum if it included security guarantees, provisions allowing Ukraine to maintain a strong and adequately funded military, and financial assistance for reconstruction.

The Ukrainian president also pushed back against Russia's demand for a broader agreement on Europe's security architecture before negotiations focus on the specific terms for ending the war.

Echoing European leaders who discussed the issue at a summit in Dublin on Friday, Zelenskyy said the priority should be to bring the fighting to an end rather than first attempting to reshape the…

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