US floats NATO membership for Ukraine in exchange for Donbas withdrawal, Zelensky says

US negotiators have floated the possibility of Ukraine joining NATO in exchange for withdrawing from the Donbas region, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said Friday, following peace talks in Abu Dhabi. Zelensky reiterated Kyiv would not retreat from its territory. Zelensky said he would put the question to a referendum if Ukraine received a comprehensive security package, including guarantees, a strong army, and rebuilding funds. He ruled out legally recognizing occupied territory as Russian and said specifics did not yet exist, according to the Kyiv Post. The US-mediated talks, attended by envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner, made progress on a prisoner exchange but remained divided on territory and security guarantees. Zelensky said NATO was back on the agenda, citing Putin's signals as making the conversation difficult.