US proposes Ukraine trade land for NATO membership, Zelenskyy says

The United States proposed for the first time that Ukraine cede territory to Russia in exchange for NATO membership, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said Saturday, adding that Russia rejected an energy ceasefire at recent talks. Zelenskyy said Russia was "betting everything" on this winter's campaign and warned that Kremlin demands to redraw Europe's security architecture were "dangerous." The proposal was raised during US-brokered talks in Abu Dhabi, where envoys Jared Kushner and Steve Witkoff met with Putin and Zelenskyy separately. Zelenskyy said he would consult Ukrainian society before accepting any deal, and dismissed Putin's "humanitarian mission" proposal for Kostyantynivka as a ploy to force Kyiv's withdrawal. Moscow has inched westwards since 2022 but failed to seize all of Donetsk region.