Key takeaways
- Zelenskyy says US negotiators asked whether Ukraine would withdraw from Donbas if it joined NATO, in remarks released 14 November.
- Washington had not commented, and no official proposal linking a Donbas withdrawal to NATO membership was reported by 14 November.
- Admitting a new NATO member requires unanimous consent of all allies under Article 10, so Washington cannot deliver membership alone.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said US peace negotiators asked whether Ukraine would withdraw from Donbas if it joined NATO. He told reporters on Friday 13 November, in remarks his office released on Saturday 14 November, that it was the first time the link between NATO membership and territorial concessions had been raised in the talks, Reuters reported. Donbas comprises the Donetsk and Luhansk regions.
Zelenskyy said: "The Americans raised a question: 'What if Ukraine joins NATO? Would Ukraine withdraw from Donbas?'" He added: "That is why I believe NATO is back on the agenda." He reiterated that Kyiv was not ready to concede territory, Reuters reported. If Kyiv received a comprehensive package of security guarantees, a strong, well-funded army and money to rebuild, he would put the question to a national referendum, according to Reuters.
What is confirmed and what is claimed
The account of the exchange comes from Zelenskyy, who spoke to reporters in remarks released by his office on Saturday, according to Reuters. Politico reported that the White House and the State Department did not immediately respond to a request for comment, while Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty (RFE/RL) reported that he did not say in what circumstances the idea was floated. The Ukrainian outlet Ukrmedia, citing Interfax-Ukraine and Ukrinform, wrote that as of 14 November there was no official proposal to exchange a Donbas withdrawal for NATO membership. RFE/RL reported that US officials had earlier said membership was off the table but that Ukraine could receive guarantees comparable to it.
In other remarks, Zelenskyy said US officials were discussing guarantees similar to Articles 4 and 5 of NATO. Asked whether US soldiers would then be on Ukrainian soil, he said: "Their answer was 'no'." RTÉ quoted him saying: "I have no right to make that decision on my own."
The remarks followed US-brokered talks in Abu Dhabi and envoy meetings in Moscow and Dublin. In March, Zelenskyy told Reuters that Washington was making its offer of security guarantees conditional on Ukraine ceding all of Donbas. Zelenskyy's November account adds the NATO link, Reuters reported.
Observers are reading: why Article 10 and Moscow's red line limit what any US question on NATO and Donbas can deliver, and what to watch next.
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A claim awaiting a US response
The BBC reported on 12 November that comments by Putin and Kremlin officials after his meeting with the US envoys suggested Russia's position on the war, and its demands for territory, had not shifted.
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