US proposes NATO membership for Ukraine in exchange for Donbas, Zelenskyy says

The United States has proposed granting Ukraine NATO membership in exchange for ceding the eastern Donbas region to Russia, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy told reporters, marking a potential shift in Washington's negotiation strategy. Zelenskyy said U.S. peace envoys asked if Kyiv would consider relinquishing Donetsk and Luhansk as part of a broader security arrangement. The Ukrainian leader said the proposal was the first time Washington had raised such an exchange, with discussions focused on a comprehensive package including NATO and EU guarantees, military support, and a reconstruction program. Zelenskyy indicated any territorial concession would require public approval rather than a unilateral presidential commitment, and he would consult Ukrainian society if guarantees were formally confirmed. The talks come as President Donald Trump's administration seeks progress ahead of the conflict's fifth year in February, following U.S. envoy meetings in Abu Dhabi that yielded a prisoner exchange but left territorial disputes unresolved. Zelenskyy also raised concerns about SpaceX's Starshield terminal restrictions in occupied areas, which he said complicate air defense operations.