US floats NATO membership for Ukraine, Zelenskyy says

US officials have floated the idea of Ukraine joining NATO as a potential security framework to end Russia's war in Ukraine, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said. This is the first time the question of linking NATO membership to territorial concessions has been raised during negotiations, the president noted. Zelenskyy reiterated that Kyiv is not prepared to give up any territory, but he also said that if Ukraine received a comprehensive package, including security guarantees and funding for rebuilding, he would put the issue to a national referendum.

Russian President Vladimir Putin has long insisted that Ukrainian NATO membership is a red line for Moscow, a stance that Zelenskyy dismissed as Moscow's inability to take the city by force. Civilians in Kostiantynivka have already had the chance to evacuate, he added. Ukraine has presented a list of other frontline settlements where civilians, including children, are trapped, but Russia continues to target them as military objectives.

The US-brokered talks concluded in the UAE capital without a major breakthrough, with only a prisoner exchange agreed upon. US peace envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner were in Moscow to discuss an energy ceasefire, but no progress was reported. Zelenskyy met with Witkoff and Kushner, who said Europe would have a seat at the negotiating table in future peace talks.

EU leaders agreed that Europe's negotiating team would consist of Britain, France, Germany, Italy, and Poland, along with EU officials.