US proposes Ukraine cede Donbas for NATO membership, Zelensky says

The US government has proposed for the first time that Ukraine cede territory to Russia in exchange for NATO membership, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said, insisting the war must end before any debate on European security. US envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner raised the question of Ukraine withdrawing from the Donbas region during meetings in Abu Dhabi, Moscow, and Dublin. Zelensky said he would consult Ukrainian society before deciding on any security guarantees from NATO and the EU. Russia currently controls nearly a fifth of Ukrainian territory, including Crimea and most of Donetsk and Luhansk. Zelensky rejected Moscow's broader proposal to reshape European security, calling it dangerous, and said Russia opposes a temporary ceasefire.