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Zelensky says US negotiators raised a possible Donbas withdrawal in exchange for NATO membership
Volodymyr Zelensky said US negotiators asked whether Ukraine would withdraw troops from parts of Donbas in exchange for NATO membership. He said Ukraine would not give up territory, but might put a proposal to a referendum if it included security guarantees and support for Ukraine’s military and recovery.
What the reports agree on
- Zelensky said US negotiators raised the possibility of Ukraine withdrawing from Donbas in exchange for NATO membership. France24, Al Jazeera, Newsweek, BBC World
- Zelensky said the possibility was raised for the first time. France24, Newsweek, BBC World
- Zelensky said Ukraine would not give up its territory. France24, Al Jazeera, BBC World
- Zelensky said he might put a proposal to a referendum if Ukraine received security guarantees and support for its military and reconstruction. France24, Al Jazeera, BBC World
- Officials from the United States, Ukraine and Russia took part in talks in Abu Dhabi that week. France24, Al Jazeera, Newsweek
Where reports differ
- Zelensky said no concrete offer had been made. Al Jazeera
- Zelensky said he would not commit Ukraine to neutrality, which would require a constitutional change. Newsweek
- Zelensky said a referendum proposal would require no limits on Ukraine’s military. BBC World
Reported by one outlet
- The territory in question is in the part of Donbas that Ukrainian forces still control. Newsweek
- Russia’s Defence Ministry said its forces intercepted 29 Ukrainian drones overnight. Al Jazeera
- U.S. envoys Jared Kushner and Steve Witkoff met Zelensky in Dublin after talks with Vladimir Putin in Moscow. BBC World
The original reports
- Al Jazeera US suggested Ukraine cede parts of Donbas to Russia to become part of NATO
- Newsweek Zelensky Says US Raised Territory-for-NATO Trade-Off
- Al Jazeera Three killed in Russia as Ukraine claims US floated NATO membership option
- BBC World US has floated Ukraine ceding Donbas for Nato membership, Zelensky says
- France24 US negotiators suggest Ukraine cedes territory in exchange for NATO membership