Ukraine's NATO bid resurfaces as Zelenskyy weighs Donbas trade-off

Ukraine's NATO membership bid has resurfaced in peace talks, with US negotiators asking President Volodymyr Zelenskyy whether Kyiv would surrender the Donbas region in exchange for joining the alliance. Zelenskyy said NATO membership is "back on the agenda" and that US envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner relayed Russian President Vladimir Putin's agreement to include European representatives in the next round of talks. He asked European allies to decide by the end of November who would represent the continent, while noting Russia refused an energy ceasefire and lacked mandate for such discussions in Abu Dhabi. Ukraine is seeking fresh European military support, including 800,000 rounds of F-16 ammunition from Denmark, which also pledged a €645 million defence package and €20 million in energy aid. Zelenskyy highlighted continued restrictions on the US-operated Starshield satellite system and discussed strengthening air defence and infrastructure ahead of winter.