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Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said US peace envoys asked whether Ukraine would be willing to give up the Donbas region in the nation’s east to Russia in exchange for NATO membership, signalling a potential shift in Washington’s negotiating tactics.
As the full-scale war between Ukraine and Russia heads toward the end of its fifth year in February, the administration of President Donald Trump is trying to make a breakthrough in the peace negotiations they’re moderating.
US special envoys Steve Witkoff, right, Jared Kushner, US. President Donald Trump’s son-in-law, left, and Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelensky speak to the media. AP Photo/Peter Morrison
“It was the first time this had been raised,” Zelensky told reporters in his office in Kyiv late Friday of the plan involving the Donetsk and Luhansk regions. “We are discussing with our partners a comprehensive security package that could be offered to us in the negotiations.”
Zelensky said that the package floated by Washington includes specific security guarantees from NATO and the European Union; a strong Ukrainian army, meaning an adequate number of troops, weapons, and financial support for a specified period of time; and a recovery plan backed by funding with clearly identified sources.
