The key facts

  • Zelensky said the US for the first time tied Ukraine's NATO accession to a withdrawal of troops from Donbas
  • The President of Ukraine is ready to put the terms of a deal to a referendum if security guarantees are confirmed
  • The Kremlin, according to reports, has not softened its territorial demands; Ukraine earlier rejected the idea of changing the borders of the Donetsk and Luhansk regions

What Zelensky said

President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelensky told journalists that the American side, for the first time in the negotiations, directly linked two issues: possible Ukrainian membership in NATO and the withdrawal of Ukrainian troops from Donbas. “The Americans asked: ‘If Ukraine joins NATO, will Ukraine leave Donbas?’ This is happening for the first time,” a number of outlets quoted him as saying. He did not specify which American negotiator asked this question.

Referendum and the terms of the deal

Zelensky said that if the US confirms Ukraine's membership in NATO, he is ready to put the question to a referendum — but only once the exact terms and details of the proposal are known. In his words, “I do not have the right to make such a decision single-handedly.” A comprehensive security package is being discussed with Western partners: clear guarantees from NATO and the European Union, a strong and well-funded Ukrainian army, as well as the necessary number of troops, weapons and financial assistance for a certain period. Zelensky named the “Prosperity Plan,” which is to determine funding sources for post-war reconstruction, as a separate part of the agreement. At the same time, he again stressed that Ukraine will not give up its territories and will not recognize them as annexed by Russia.

Context of the talks and Moscow's position

The statement came after a series of contacts: US special representatives Jared Kushner and Steve Witkoff met with Vladimir Putin in Moscow and then arrived in Dublin for a meeting with Zelensky. After trilateral talks in Abu Dhabi, Kushner noted that territorial issues remain among the most difficult. According to reports, Putin at the meeting with the envoys signaled that Russia will not retreat from its territorial demands and rejects the idea of deploying foreign peacekeepers. Russian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Maria Zakharova said that, as far as she was aware, the NATO question “was not discussed during the talks with Witkoff and Kushner in Moscow.”

Earlier proposals and Kyiv's reaction

Earlier, as The Economist wrote citing sources, American negotiators floated the idea of changing the borders of the Donetsk and Luhansk regions: Russia could declare the full capture of these territories without giving Ukraine other lands; Ukraine, according to this information, rejected the proposal. The withdrawal of Ukrainian troops from Donbas is considered one of Putin's main demands; Zelensky has repeatedly said he is against such a retreat. At the same time, he said the American proposal allows him to believe that “NATO is back on the agenda,” but warned: “You have also heard Putin's signals, and this is an extremely difficult conversation.” Earlier, American officials said that Ukraine's NATO membership was not being considered.

Europe's role and the backdrop

The European Union said European diplomats, including from Germany, France, the United Kingdom and Poland, will take part in future talks on Ukraine; Moscow has long insisted on excluding European states from the negotiations. Aide to the President of Russia Yuri Ushakov said the Europeans' position “has been set out exhaustively” and they will have to decide whether they want peace or the continuation of the war. Against the backdrop of the diplomatic contacts, Russia's Defense Ministry reported the capture of the settlement of Tersyanka in the Zaporizhzhia region and strikes on energy and transport infrastructure; Zelensky warned that Putin is “staking everything” on the winter campaign, which, according to Kyiv's assessment, is aimed at undermining the morale of the population.