Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has said the United States proposed that Ukraine consider withdrawing from its eastern Donbas region in exchange for membership of the North Atlantic Treaty Organisation (NATO).
Zelensky described the suggestion as the first time Washington had raised the possibility during negotiations aimed at ending the war with Russia.
He 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, American negotiators asked whether Ukraine would be willing to withdraw from Donbas if it were 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 proposed arrangement would require Ukraine to give up territory in Donetsk and Luhansk, the two regions that make up the eastern Donbas area, in exchange for possible membership of the Western military alliance.
However, Zelensky said Kyiv was discussing specific security guarantees from NATO and the European Union, stressing that any decision on territorial concessions would require the consent of the Ukrainian people.
“I will ask our Ukrainian society what it thinks: do we accept it or not? I have no right to make that decision on my own,” he said.
He added that any such arrangement would depend on Western countries providing credible security guarantees to prevent another Russian invasion.
“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,” he said.
The Ukrainian leader maintained that Kyiv was not prepared to surrender its territory but indicated that he would consider putting the proposal before the public if a comprehensive security package was secured.
Meanwhile, Zelensky disclosed that Russia had rejected Ukraine’s proposal for a ceasefire covering energy infrastructure during the Abu Dhabi negotiations.
“On the proposal for an energy ceasefire: the Russians don’t want it,” he said.
He also accused Russian President Vladimir Putin of using a proposed humanitarian mission to the embattled eastern Ukrainian city of Kostiantynivka as an excuse to force Ukrainian troops to withdraw.
“Putin simply wants us to leave Kostiantynivka so that they can move in and occupy the entire city that way,” Zelensky said.
The Ukrainian president further warned that Russia was “betting everything” on its military campaign during the coming winter. He described Moscow’s demands to reshape Europe’s security arrangements as dangerous and warned that they could trigger further conflicts.
The two-day negotiations in Abu Dhabi, mediated by US envoys Jared Kushner and Steve Witkoff, ended without a breakthrough. However, the parties agreed that European officials should participate in subsequent discussions, according to AFP.
The talks formed part of renewed efforts by US President Donald Trump’s administration to end the war, which began with Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022.
Ahead of the meeting, Reuters reported that Russia remained firm on its demand that Ukraine surrender the entire Donbas region before a peace agreement could be reached. Zelensky has repeatedly rejected giving up territories defended by Ukrainian forces.
Russian President Putin has also demanded that Ukraine withdraw its troops from Donetsk, Luhansk, Zaporizhzhia and Kherson, four regions Moscow claimed to have annexed in September 2022, although it does not control all the territories.
The United States, Russia and Ukraine had previously held three rounds of trilateral negotiations in January and February 2026. However, diplomatic efforts stalled before the latest meeting in Abu Dhabi, CBS News reported.
