A proposal that would trade Ukrainian territorial withdrawal from Donbas for NATO membership has surfaced for the first time in ongoing efforts to end nearly five years of war.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy disclosed Saturday that American peace envoys, following the latest round of negotiations in Abu Dhabi, posed a pointed question to Kyiv.
“The Americans raised a question: ‘What if Ukraine joins NATO? Would Ukraine withdraw from Donbas?'” Zelenskyy told reporters, describing a scenario he said had never previously been part of the diplomatic conversation.
Zelenskyy was unambiguous in restating Ukraine’s long-held position that it would not unilaterally cede any territory to Russia under the terms of a peace agreement.
However, he indicated that if a comprehensive settlement were reached, one that included concrete security guarantees, a well-funded Ukrainian military, and substantial reconstruction financing, he would take the matter directly to Ukrainian voters through a referendum.
The emergence of the NATO question marks a significant shift in the diplomatic landscape, with Zelenskyy acknowledging that the alliance’s potential role is once again a live issue at the negotiating table.
“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,” Zelenskyy said.
Adding to the complexity of any eventual settlement, the European Union announced that diplomats from Germany, France, the United Kingdom, and Poland would participate in future rounds of peace negotiations, despite Moscow’s longstanding insistence that European nations be excluded due to their support for Ukraine.
Zelenskyy also turned his attention to Russian demands that NATO withdraw its forces from proximity to the Russian border, a position strongly condemned by EU leadership, warning that such pressure on the continent’s security order carries serious risks.
“This is dangerous because, in my view, it is precisely things like this that lead to wars or escalations,” he said, adding that “Real security in Europe means the EU and NATO. That’s it. There is no other security in Europe.”
On the battlefield, Russia’s Defence Ministry reported through news agency Interfax that its forces had seized the settlement of Tersianka in Ukraine’s southeastern Zaporizhzhia region, while also striking energy and transport infrastructure, ammunition depots, and drone production and storage facilities.
The strikes are part of a sustained Russian campaign targeting power stations across Ukraine using ballistic and cruise missiles, leaving millions of civilians without power or heating as winter temperatures fall sharply.
Zelenskyy warned that Putin was “betting everything” on the current winter campaign, which Kyiv characterizes as a deliberate strategy to erode Ukrainian public morale rather than achieve purely military objectives.
