US asks Ukraine to trade Donbas land for NATO membership

The United States has for the first time asked Ukraine to cede territory to Russia in exchange for NATO membership, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said Saturday, a claim US envoy Jared Kushner sought to downplay. Zelensky stated that US officials raised the question of Ukraine joining NATO in exchange for withdrawing from the Donbas region, marking the first time the issue was formally posed. He insisted Kyiv would not accept neutrality, while Kushner said new ideas emerged from talks in Abu Dhabi without confirming the territorial proposal. The negotiations, the first direct Russia-Ukraine talks since February, produced no major breakthrough. European nations agreed to be represented by five countries and EU officials in future discussions, as Zelensky also called for a US military aid package ahead of the new Congress in January.