Zelensky says US is pushing Ukraine to swap Donbas for 'NATO-like' guarantee
Ukraine's president said American negotiators asked if Kyiv would trade the Donbas region for security guarantees resembling NATO membership, in an interview ahead of this week's Abu Dhabi talks.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said American negotiators had asked him in private whether Kyiv would give up the region in exchange for security guarantees, according to an interview with Danish broadcaster DR that he quoted on X on Tuesday. He said he asked the Americans what kind of guarantees they meant, and that the reply was "not NATO, but similar to NATO."
Zelensky said he told the Americans that Ukraine wanted a clear answer on Donbas, not a vague one, and that avoiding a firm commitment on the region was both Kyiv's and, in his view, Russian President Vladimir Putin's real goal. He said Russia had previously claimed to be defending Russian-speaking people in Donbas before attacking Kyiv and, according to him, killing people in Bucha and elsewhere.
Ukraine gave up its nuclear weapons in the past, Zelensky said, but that did not stop Russia from blocking its path into the EU and NATO and eventually invading. He said no one believes Putin would stop fighting if Ukraine left Donbas, and that Russia could pause and return in one, two or five years.
Zelensky published the comments on X on Tuesday, the day a new round of trilateral talks between Russia, Ukraine and the United States opened in Abu Dhabi, the first since February, Index.hr and Nova.rs reported. The talks are being led by US envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner, Ukraine's Rustem Umerov and Russia's Vladimir Medinsky.
Unnamed US officials had said both Moscow and Kyiv were showing some openness to a territorial exchange ahead of the meeting, Index.hr reported. Zelensky's comments indicated he opposed trading Donbas for guarantees that fall short of NATO membership.
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What we know
- Official · Volodymyr Zelensky Zelensky said US negotiators had asked privately whether Ukraine would give up Donbas for security guarantees, in comments he quoted from a DR Nyheder interview.
- Official · Volodymyr Zelensky He said the Americans described the guarantees as "not NATO, but similar to NATO."
- Official · Volodymyr Zelensky Zelensky said Ukraine's past loss of nuclear weapons and NATO membership did not stop Russia's invasion.
- 2+ outlets · Index.hr, Nova.rs He published the remarks on X on 10 November, as a new round of US-mediated talks opened in Abu Dhabi.
Not yet confirmed
- Unconfirmed Whether the Americans' description of the proposed guarantees, as reported by Zelensky, reflects an official US position has not been confirmed by Washington.
How each fact is established: Verified checked by an ECTV editorOfficial stated by an official body2+ outlets reported independently by two or more news organisations1 outlet reported by a single news organisation so farUnconfirmed claimed or reportedHow we label facts
Why it matters for Europe
Russia has said for years that Ukraine must cede the whole of Donbas before any peace deal, while Kyiv has refused to give up land it has fought to defend. Zelensky's remarks show the gap between Washington's push for a quick settlement and Ukraine's insistence on guarantees it considers reliable, as the US, Russia and Ukraine resumed negotiations in Abu Dhabi this week.
The exchange he described, giving up Donbas for something short of NATO membership, mirrors the security arrangements European governments have been negotiating to include in any settlement. How Ukraine and Europe respond could shape both the war's outcome and future security guarantees across the continent.
Sources
Reported by 2 reports from 2 independent outlets in 2 countries.
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Questions and answers
- What did Zelensky say the Americans asked him?
- He said US negotiators asked privately whether Ukraine would exchange the Donbas region for security guarantees.
- What guarantees were on offer?
- Zelensky said the Americans described them as "not NATO, but similar to NATO."
- When did Zelensky make the comments?
- He posted them on X on 10 November, as a new round of talks opened in Abu Dhabi.
This article was written with AI assistance from 2 verified reports and checked under the ECTV editorial policy. Spotted an error? Request a correction.