US asks Ukraine to trade land for NATO membership, Zelensky says

The United States has asked Ukraine to cede territory in exchange for NATO membership, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said, marking the first time Washington raised such a condition. Zelensky revealed that American officials questioned whether Ukraine would withdraw from the Donbas region if it joined NATO. He said Kyiv is discussing specific security guarantees from NATO and the EU, and that any decision would require approval from Ukrainian society, as he lacks the authority to decide alone. The comments came after Ukraine-Russia talks in Abu Dhabi, mediated by the US, yielded no breakthrough. Moscow rejected a proposed energy truce, and Zelensky dismissed a Russian "humanitarian mission" proposal as a ploy. He warned Russia is betting on a winter military campaign and urged US Congress to pass sanctions and arms packages to pressure Putin toward de-escalation.