US proposed Ukraine cede land to Russia for NATO entry, Zelenskyy says

Washington suggested Ukraine cede land to Russia in exchange for NATO membership, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said Saturday, marking the first time such a proposal was raised in talks. Zelenskyy said the US question about withdrawing from Donbas showed NATO is "back on the agenda" for Ukraine, though he insisted Kyiv would not recognize Russian-seized territory. US envoys Jared Kushner and Steve Witkoff met both leaders Thursday with no breakthrough. Russia continued deadly strikes Saturday, while Europe selected five countries to join future talks. Zelenskyy warned Moscow is "betting everything" on this winter's campaign, and European leaders rejected Russian proposals for a new security architecture.