Zelensky says US floated Ukraine ceding Donbas for NATO membership

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said the United States proposed Ukraine cede the Donbas region in exchange for NATO membership, marking the first time such a question was raised. Zelensky told journalists Friday that Washington asked whether Ukraine would withdraw from Donbas if it joined NATO. He added Kyiv is negotiating "specific" security guarantees from NATO and the EU, and would seek public approval before accepting any agreement. Zelensky called Kremlin efforts to reshape European security architecture "dangerous," stating NATO and the EU represent Europe's only true security. He said Moscow is betting everything on its winter military campaign as the conflict nears its fifth anniversary.