US proposes Ukraine cede territory for NATO membership — Zelensky

Detailed summary

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky says the US proposed Ukraine cede its Donbas region in exchange for NATO membership during recent peace talks in Abu Read More:…

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has said the United States raised the possibility of Ukraine withdrawing from its eastern Donbas region in exchange for joining the North Atlantic Treaty Organisation, describing it as the first time Washington had presented the idea during negotiations to end the war with Russia.

Zelensky disclosed this while speaking to journalists on Friday, with his comments released on Saturday, November 14, 2026, following two days of US-brokered peace talks between Russian and Ukrainian delegations in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates.

According to AFP, the Ukrainian leader said American negotiators had asked whether Ukraine would be prepared to withdraw from Donbas if it was allowed to join NATO.

“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.

The proposal would involve Ukraine giving up territory in its eastern region of Donbas, which comprises Donetsk and Luhansk, as part of a possible arrangement to secure its membership of the Western military alliance.

Zelensky also said the proposed arrangement would depend on Western countries providing credible security guarantees to prevent another Russian invasion.

He said, “That is why I believe NATO is back on the agenda. But you have also heard (Russian President Vladimir) Putin’s signals, and this is an extremely difficult conversation.”

The Ukrainian president reiterated that Kyiv was not prepared to surrender its territory, but said he would consider putting the question before Ukrainians if a comprehensive security package was secured.

In a separate development, Zelensky disclosed that Russia had rejected Ukraine’s proposal for a ceasefire targeting energy infrastructure during the Abu Dhabi negotiations.

Opening of the article, excerpted from Punch. To read the rest, open the article on the publisher's site.