United States negotiators have proposed that Ukraine withdraw its remaining troops from the eastern Donbas region in exchange for membership of the North Atlantic Treaty Organisation (Nato), Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has said.
Zelensky disclosed the proposal following meetings between US envoys and Russian President Vladimir Putin in Moscow, as well as discussions with the Ukrainian leader in Dublin, Ireland, aimed at finding a resolution to the ongoing war.
According to the Ukrainian president, the proposal was raised by American negotiators during discussions on a possible peace agreement.
However, the United States has not officially confirmed the suggestion, while a US official told the BBC that “many ideas continue to be discussed but any final deal will have to be agreed to by both parties”.
“The Americans raised a question: ‘What if Ukraine joins Nato? Would Ukraine withdraw from Donbas?’ This was the first time this had been raised,” Zelensky said in remarks released by his office on Saturday.
He added that he would consider putting any concrete proposal to a referendum if it included security guarantees for Ukraine, freedom from restrictions on its military and funding for the country’s reconstruction.
Zelensky has consistently opposed surrendering Ukrainian territory, insisting that any peace arrangement must protect the country’s sovereignty.
The Donbas region, comprising Donetsk and Luhansk, has been a major flashpoint in the conflict, which began with Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022.
Moscow currently controls most of the industrial region and roughly one-fifth of Ukrainian territory, including areas seized before and during the war.
Russia has maintained that a peace deal must include Ukraine’s withdrawal from parts of Donbas still under Kyiv’s control, as well as the Crimean peninsula, which Moscow annexed in 2014.
The Kremlin has also demanded limits on Ukraine’s military strength and that Kyiv abandon its ambition to join Nato, conditions rejected by the Ukrainian government.
US envoys Jared Kushner and Steve Witkoff travelled to Dublin on Thursday to meet Zelensky after holding talks with Putin in Moscow.
The latest discussions reportedly focused on possible compromises over territorial control and European security, although Russia’s position on the conflict appears unchanged.
Other Nato members have also expressed reservations about Ukraine’s membership, while Russia has repeatedly opposed the prospect of the military alliance expanding to its borders.
Ukraine, however, considers Nato membership a crucial safeguard against future Russian aggression.
Zelensky recently accused US mediators of pressuring Kyiv to surrender territory in pursuit of a swift peace agreement.
He has also maintained that Ukraine’s security cannot be guaranteed through territorial concessions alone.
Hours after Zelensky’s remarks, Kushner called for confidentiality in the ongoing negotiations, cautioning against public discussions of proposals being considered privately.
He said “maximalist” proposals had been reported from the negotiations, alongside “strong political rhetoric”, adding that the discussions were intended to explore new ideas that could lead to proposals or breakthroughs.
The latest diplomatic efforts come amid heightened tensions between Kyiv and Washington over Ukrainian attacks on Russian oil facilities and disagreements regarding the use of Starlink internet services for Ukraine’s military operations.
US President Donald Trump has also called for fresh elections in Ukraine, although voting remains suspended under martial law.
Zelensky has previously said he would be willing to hold elections within months of a peace agreement and has indicated that he could relinquish the presidency in exchange for Nato membership.
