Zelenskyy rejected the opportunity of Ukraine committing to neutrality and mentioned he refused to cede territory to Russia.
Revealed On 14 Nov 2026
US negotiators have floated the concept Ukraine ought to cede elements of japanese Donbas in change for NATO membership, Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has mentioned, after the newest rounds of Russia-Ukraine peace talks in Abu Dhabi and Eire.
That is the primary time the query of linking NATO membership to territorial concessions has been raised, Zelenskyy instructed reporters in remarks launched by his workplace on Saturday.
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“The Individuals raised a query: ‘What if Ukraine joins NATO? Would Ukraine withdraw from Donbas?” he mentioned. “That’s the reason I consider NATO is again on the agenda.”
Zelenskyy mentioned the elements of the Donbas area in japanese Ukraine the US requested about have been areas Russia doesn’t management. The Ukrainian president mentioned he refused to cede territory.
“[Russian President Vladimir] Putin’s need to vary borders in Europe is a reality. I’m positive that is a part of his idea of revising safety ensures in Europe,” he mentioned. “That is harmful as a result of, in my opinion, it’s exactly issues like this that result in wars or escalations.”
Putin has lengthy mentioned that Ukrainian membership of NATO is a crimson line for Moscow, citing the difficulty as one motive for launching Russia’s full-blown invasion in 2022.
Zelenskyy did say that if Ukraine obtained a complete bundle, together with safety ensures, navy and reconstruction funds, and a restoration plan from the US and different companions, he would put the query about ceding elements of Donbas to a nationwide referendum.
“If the American facet confirms exactly this to us, along with different NATO companions, then I’ll ask our Ukrainian society what it thinks: will we settle for it or not?” Zelenskyy mentioned.
He careworn that any association wouldn’t contain recognising occupied territories as Russian. Zelenskyy additionally rejected the opportunity of Ukraine committing to neutrality, saying that may require altering the nation’s structure.
“If Putin expects Ukraine’s neutrality to be enshrined, that’s not going to occur,” he mentioned. “We’re not in NATO proper now anyway.”
Regardless of the diplomatic push to finish the battle, Russia and Ukraine reported numerous overnight attacks. Russian officers reported on Friday that about 1,200 Ukrainian drones have been fired on the nation, with oil infrastructure among the many targets, whereas Ukraine reported assaults on a hospital and the port of Odesa.
On the summit in Eire over current days, EU leaders agreed that Europe’s workforce for any Ukraine peace talks would comprise five major military powers – non-EU member Britain plus France, Germany, Italy and Poland – in addition to EU officers. They might maintain talks with US and Ukrainian officers, however not with Russia.
