On a Saturday in mid-November, Ukraine's president described a question he says American negotiators had never before put to him: would Kyiv trade its remaining forces in the eastern Donbas for a place in Nato? It is the kind of bargain that lays bare the oldest tension in this long war, where territory, alliance and the memory of invasion all pull against one another. Washington has neither confirmed nor denied the offer, leaving it suspended between a negotiating gambit and a trial balloon. Whether it becomes a path to peace or another wound depends on what the parties are still willing to s
Zelensky Says US Floated Ceding Donbas for NATO Membership; Washington Does Not Confirm
Russia's full-scale invasion has left it occupying roughly a fifth of Ukrainian territory, and the war continues; the article gives no new casualty or displacement figures.
Zelensky says it was the first time Washington raised the idea
Mark
Why does this one remark matter so much?
Mimi
Because Zelensky says it's the first time Washington tied leaving the Donbas to Nato membership. Kyiv has always said it won't give up sovereign land, and membership has long been blocked.
Luke
But it's his account. The US hasn't confirmed it. All we have from Washington is that many ideas are being discussed.
Mark
And Kushner's reaction?
Mimi
He urged confidentiality and spoke of maximalist proposals and strong political rhetoric. The BBC reads it as a rebuke to Kyiv.
Luke
Reads as, yes. That's interpretation, not a stated rebuke. He never said Zelensky's account was wrong.
Mark
Why would Zelensky go public?
Mimi
The BBC offers possibilities: to reopen a discussion thought nearly closed, and to push back on Moscow's hard line.
Luke
Those are possibilities. Nobody has confirmed his motive, and nobody has confirmed the offer.
Mark
Does Russia's side change?
Mimi
Not on the evidence so far. It still wants the rest of the Donbas and Crimea before any ceasefire.
Luke
And the referendum is conditional on a specific proposal with guarantees. None exists in public yet.
El Pulso
- Zelensky says US envoys asked whether Ukraine would leave the Donbas for Nato membership, a proposal Washington has not confirmed.
- Kushner's public call for confidentiality reads like a rebuke, and the issue has dominated the latest Abu Dhabi talks.
- Russia still demands Ukrainian withdrawal from all of the Donbas and Crimea before any ceasefire, and its position has not shifted.
- Trump's recent pressure over oil strikes, Starlink and elections has strained Kyiv and Washington relations.
- Watch for a public US endorsement of the idea and whether the confidentiality appeal holds as talks continue.
On a Saturday in mid-November, Ukraine's president described a question he says American negotiators had never before put to him: would Kyiv trade its remaining forces in the eastern Donbas for a place in Nato? It is the kind of bargain that lays bare the oldest tension in this long war, where territory, alliance and the memory of invasion all pull against one another. Washington has neither confirmed nor denied the offer, leaving it suspended between a negotiating gambit and a trial balloon. Whether it becomes a path to peace or another wound depends on what the parties are still willing to say aloud.
On Saturday, Ukraine's president said American negotiators had asked him something no one had raised before: would Ukraine join Nato if it pulled its remaining forces out of the eastern Donbas? Volodymyr Zelensky said he would put any such deal to a referendum, provided it came with security guarantees, no limits on his army and money to rebuild. The US has not confirmed the account, saying only that many ideas are still under discussion.
The question came after envoys Jared Kushner and Steve Witkoff met Vladimir Putin in Moscow and then Zelensky in Dublin. Hours after Zelensky spoke, Kushner urged confidentiality, a move the BBC read as a reproach to Kyiv. The matter dominated this week's talks in Abu Dhabi.
The idea cuts against long-held positions. Kyiv has sought Nato membership for years, Washington has resisted it, and the Kremlin calls it unacceptable. Moscow's position has not moved: no ceasefire until Ukraine hands over the rest of the Donbas and Crimea, and Kyiv rejects those terms as a threat to its defence. Russia now occupies about a fifth of Ukraine, and the war goes on.
On Saturday, Ukraine's president released remarks describing a question he says American negotiators put to him for the first time: what if Ukraine joined Nato, and in return pulled its remaining forces out of the eastern Donbas? Volodymyr Zelensky said the idea had never been raised before. The US has not confirmed that account. A US official told the BBC that many ideas continue to be discussed, but that any final deal would have to be agreed by both parties.
The remarks followed a round of diplomacy earlier in the week. US envoys Jared Kushner and Steve Witkoff met Russian President Vladimir Putin in Moscow, then travelled to Dublin on Thursday to meet Zelensky. They are part of American efforts to end the war that began with Russia's full-scale invasion in February 2022.
Zelensky said that if he were given a specific proposal containing security guarantees, no constraints on Ukraine's military, and funds to rebuild the country, he would put it to a referendum. He has consistently said Ukraine is unwilling to give up sovereign territory. Russia now occupies roughly a fifth of Ukraine, including most of Donetsk and Luhansk, the two regions that make up the Donbas.
The proposal as Zelensky describes it cuts against long-held positions. Kyiv has sought Nato membership for years, but the US and other members have opposed it, and the Kremlin has said another Nato state on its border is unacceptable. The BBC notes that Nato membership was one reason Russia began the war, and that Ukraine itself is understood to see membership as unrealistic.
There are several possible readings. The American envoys may have been probing Ukraine's red lines on occupied Donbas land. Zelensky said recently that US mediators believed Kyiv only needed to cede territory to reach peace and were pressing for a quick deal. It is also possible that Zelensky made the idea public to reopen a discussion that had been considered nearly closed. He says it is now back on the agenda as part of an extremely difficult conversation about European security. The BBC also sees it as a push back against Moscow's renewed hard line, which speaks of a new European security architecture, long-standing Russian code for a weaker Nato.
Hours after Zelensky spoke, Kushner appeared to try to cool the matter. He urged confidentiality in a sensitive process, said maximalist proposals and strong political rhetoric had been reported from the negotiations, and referred to private discussions exploring new ideas for ending what he called a horrible war. The BBC said this read like a reproach to Kyiv. The issue appears to have dominated the latest round of talks between Ukraine, Russia and the US in Abu Dhabi this week.
Russia's position does not appear to have moved. Putin and Kremlin officials have signalled as much. Moscow has proposed limits on the size of Ukraine's military, territorial concessions, and guaranteed Ukrainian neutrality. It says it will agree to no ceasefire until a final peace deal is in place, one that includes Ukraine handing over the parts of the Donbas Russian troops have not captured, plus Crimea, which Moscow annexed illegally in 2014. Ukraine has rejected these terms, arguing they would weaken its ability to deter a future invasion.
The talks come after strained relations between Kyiv and Washington. Trump had asked Ukraine to pause strikes on oil facilities deep inside Russia to ease the supply of Russian diesel and global fuel prices. Zelensky then accused US officials of limiting Ukraine's Starlink service, which it uses to coordinate defensive operations. Trump said it was time for Ukraine to get a new president and called for elections. Elections are suspended under martial law, though Zelensky has said he would hold them within months of a peace deal, and would give up the presidency in exchange for Nato membership.
What to watch is whether Washington publicly backs the idea, and whether Kushner's call for confidentiality holds as talks continue in Abu Dhabi and elsewhere.
Citas Notables
Many ideas continue to be discussed but any final deal will have to be agreed to by both parties.— US official, to the BBC
The Americans raised a question about whether Ukraine would withdraw from Donbas if it joined Nato, for the first time.— Volodymyr Zelensky (paraphrased)
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