Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has revealed that the United States proposed a possible arrangement under which Ukraine could withdraw its troops from the eastern Donbas region in exchange for membership in the North Atlantic Treaty Organisation, NATO.
Zelensky described the suggestion as the first time American officials had introduced such an option during negotiations aimed at ending the war between Ukraine and Russia.
The Ukrainian leader made the disclosure while addressing journalists on Friday, with his remarks released on Saturday, November 14, 2026, following two days of US-mediated peace negotiations between Russian and Ukrainian delegations in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates.
According to reports, Zelensky said American negotiators had questioned whether Kyiv would consider withdrawing from Donbas if the country were granted membership in 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,” he said.
The proposed arrangement would require Ukraine to relinquish territory in Donbas, an eastern region comprising Donetsk and Luhansk, as part of a potential agreement to secure its admission into the Western military alliance.
However, Zelensky said discussions were also centred on obtaining concrete security guarantees from NATO and the European Union, stressing that any decision involving territorial concessions would ultimately rest with 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 stated.
He maintained that any consideration of the proposal would depend on Western countries providing reliable security assurances capable of preventing 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,” Zelensky added.
The Ukrainian president reiterated that his country was unwilling to surrender its territory but indicated that he could present the question to the public if a comprehensive security arrangement was guaranteed.
Separately, Zelensky disclosed that Russia had turned down Kyiv's proposal for a ceasefire covering attacks on 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 attempting to exploit a proposed humanitarian mission to Kostiantynivka, a city in eastern Ukraine, to compel Ukrainian forces to abandon the area.
“Putin simply wants us to leave Kostiantynivka so that they can move in and occupy the entire city that way,” Zelensky alleged.
Zelensky further warned that Moscow was committing all its resources to the military campaign ahead of the winter season, while describing Russia's demands for changes to Europe's security arrangements as dangerous and capable of provoking additional conflicts.
The two-day negotiations in Abu Dhabi, attended by Russian and Ukrainian representatives and facilitated by US envoys Jared Kushner and Steve Witkoff, ended without a major breakthrough.
Nevertheless, the parties reportedly agreed that European representatives should participate in future rounds of discussions.
The meeting formed part of renewed diplomatic efforts by US President Donald Trump's administration to bring the conflict, which started with Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, to an end.
Before the Abu Dhabi meeting, Reuters reported that Moscow had maintained its demand for Ukraine to surrender the entire Donbas region as a condition for reaching a peace agreement. Zelensky, however, has consistently opposed handing over territories defended by Ukrainian troops.
Putin has also demanded the withdrawal of Ukrainian forces from Donetsk, Luhansk, Zaporizhzhia and Kherson, four regions Russia declared annexed in September 2022, despite not having full control over them.
The latest negotiations followed three previous rounds of trilateral discussions involving the United States, Russia and Ukraine in January and February 2026. However, diplomatic efforts subsequently stalled before the latest meeting in the United Arab Emirates, CBS News reported.
Russia-Ukraine war: US offers Ukraine NATO membership for surrendering Donbas – Zelensky