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US Floats NATO Membership for Ukraine in Exchange for Donbas Withdrawal, Zelenskyy Says
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![Photo of Ivan Khomenko]( "Photo of Ivan Khomenko")
The United States has raised the possibility of Ukraine joining NATO in exchange for withdrawing its forces from Donbas for the first time, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy revealed during a conversation with journalists attended by UNITED24 Media on November 13.
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According to Zelenskyy, American negotiators asked whether Ukraine would agree to withdraw from Donbas if it were offered NATO membership.
“The Americans raised a question: ‘What if Ukraine joins NATO? Would Ukraine withdraw from Donbas? ’ This was the first time this had been raised,” Zelenskyy said.
The president emphasized that Ukraine continues to reject territorial concessions but acknowledged that a comprehensive security agreement backed by Western partners could be presented to Ukrainian society for consideration.
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Kyiv is currently discussing a potential security package that would include guarantees from NATO and the European Union, a sufficiently equipped and funded Ukrainian military, and a long-term economic recovery plan with clearly identified financing.
Zelenskyy said that if the United States and other NATO members formally confirmed such an arrangement, he would seek the Ukrainian public’s position before making any decision.
“If the American side confirms precisely this to us, together with other NATO partners, then 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 stated.
However, the president stressed that no concrete proposal has been finalized and that discussions remain ongoing. He also made clear that any potential agreement would not involve Ukraine formally recognizing Russian sovereignty over occupied territories.
“Of course, this would be without any recognition of the occupied territories as Russian,” Zelenskyy said. The proposal comes as Moscow continues to demand Ukraine’s withdrawal from the remaining Ukrainian-controlled areas of Donbas as a condition for ending the war.
Zelenskyy has repeatedly rejected an unconditional withdrawal, warning that surrendering fortified Ukrainian positions in the Donetsk region could allow Russian forces to advance toward other Ukrainian cities.
The president also questioned whether security guarantees modeled on NATO's collective defense commitments would be sufficient without a direct American military presence, emphasizing that Kyiv requires specific and enforceable commitments rather than general assurances.
Meanwhile, European countries are preparing separate security arrangements for Ukraine. According to The Guardian on November 3, a British-French-led force could deploy after a ceasefire, with troops authorized to return fire if attacked by Russian forces. The mission would operate outside NATO.
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