US floats NATO membership for Ukraine in exchange for Donbas withdrawal, Zelensky says
"The Americans raised the question: 'What if Ukraine joins NATO? Would Ukraine withdraw from Donbas?' This was the first time this issue had been raised," President Volodymyr Zelensky told journalists.
President Volodymyr Zelensky discussed potential NATO membership for Ukraine in exchange for withdrawing from the Donbas region on November 13. Zelensky stated that Ukrainians would have the final say on any deal, provided the U.S. and other NATO allies agree to a security package. This package would include guarantees from NATO and the EU, a strong Ukrainian army, weapons, and financial support.
Zelensky also mentioned a "Prosperity Plan" or Recovery Plan, backed by funding from clearly identified sources. If the U.S. confirmed the proposal, Zelensky would hold an open dialogue with the public. He emphasized the need for specific security guarantees modeled on Article 5 of NATO's founding treaty, and ruled out the deployment of American soldiers on Ukrainian soil.
The talks on ending Russia's full-scale war include U.S.-mediated discussions between Ukrainian and Russian representatives in Abu Dhabi on November 10-11.
Written by urgent.news from Kyiv Independent's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
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