US proposes Ukraine cede territory for NATO membership, Zelensky says

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said Saturday that the United States has for the first time proposed Ukraine cede territories in exchange for NATO membership, a claim downplayed by US envoy Jared Kushner. Speaking after visits to Denmark and Ireland, Zelensky said Americans asked whether Ukraine would withdraw from the Donbas if it joined NATO, marking the first time such a question was raised. He insisted NATO is back on the agenda and rejected neutrality, while Kushner said new ideas emerged from Abu Dhabi talks without confirming territorial concessions. The Abu Dhabi negotiations, the first since February, produced no decisive breakthrough in the nearly five-year conflict. Europeans agreed to be represented by five countries in future talks, while Zelensky called for a US military aid package and rejected Russian proposals for a humanitarian truce in Kostyantynivka.