US mediators raised Nato membership in exchange for a Ukrainian withdrawal from Donbas during Abu Dhabi peace talks. The proposal introduced territorial concessions into alliance discussions as both sides privately acknowledged the need for compromise.Russian President Vladimir Putin and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy. (AI-edit/ File)The United States has floated a proposal linking Ukraine's potential membership of the Nato military alliance to its withdrawal from the eastern Donbas region, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said, revealing a new dimension to the ongoing US-brokered peace negotiations with Russia.The proposal was raised during the latest round of talks in Abu Dhabi, where US, Ukrainian and Russian representatives discussed possible terms to end the nearly four-year war.
Zelenskyy said it was the first time Washington had explicitly linked the question of Nato membership with territorial concessions during the negotiations."The Americans raised a question: 'What if Ukraine joins Nato? Would Ukraine withdraw from Donbas?" Zelenskyy said in remarks to reporters released by his office on Saturday.He added that the proposal had brought Nato membership back into the discussions, although he acknowledged that reaching an agreement would be difficult given Russian President Vladimir Putin's longstanding opposition to Ukraine joining the alliance.
Putin has repeatedly described Nato's expansion and the prospect of Ukraine becoming a member as security threats to Russia. Moscow has cited the issue among its justifications for launching its full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022.Zelenskyy reiterated that Kyiv was not prepared to surrender territory.
However, he said he could put a comprehensive peace package to a national referendum if it included security guarantees, provisions allowing Ukraine to maintain a strong and adequately funded military, and financial assistance for reconstruction.ZELENSKYY REJECTS CHANGING SECURITY ORDER BEFORE ENDING WAR The Ukrainian president also pushed back against Russia's demand for a broader agreement on Europe's security architecture before negotiations focus on the specific terms for ending the war.Echoing European leaders who discussed the issue at a summit in Dublin on Friday, Zelenskyy said the priority should be to bring the fighting to an end rather than first attempting to reshape the continent's security arrangements."We cannot turn everything upside down and start by talking about changing the security framework in the world or across the continent overall, and only then talk about ending this war. This war must be ended first," he said.US President Donald Trump's envoy and son-in-law Jared Kushner, meanwhile, said Russia and Ukraine had put forward maximalist demands during the latest negotiations but privately recognised that compromises would be necessary."Both sides understand that practical compromises will be necessary to end this war," Kushner said in a social media post on Saturday, adding that serious and constructive efforts to find solutions were continuing.RUSSIA, UKRAINE AGREE TO PRISONER EXCHANGE The two days of US-brokered negotiations in Abu Dhabi concluded on Wednesday without a major breakthrough, although the sides agreed to a prisoner exchange involving more than 1,000 people, Zelenskyy said.
The final numbers were still being worked out, he added.Zelenskyy also said US negotiators Kushner and Steve Witkoff had promised to raise the possibility of an energy ceasefire with Putin during their meeting in Moscow on Thursday. However, he said there had been no indication of progress on the proposal."Putin personally does not support a ceasefire," Zelenskyy said.The Ukrainian president met Witkoff and Kushner in Ireland on Thursday, following their Moscow discussions.
He said the US envoys had informed him that all sides had agreed to give Europe a place at the table in upcoming peace negotiations.European representatives, who attended discussions in Abu Dhabi with US and Ukrainian officials, did not participate in the talks involving Russia. Europe has emerged as Ukraine's largest financial and military backer.At the Dublin summit, EU leaders agreed that Europe's representation in any future peace negotiations should include Britain, France, Germany, Italy and Poland, alongside European Union officials.Kushner said Washington's immediate focus was on facilitating direct engagement between Moscow and European partners and preparing the agenda for the next round of trilateral negotiations.ZELENSKYY REJECTS PUTIN'S PROPOSED LOCAL CEASEFIRE Zelenskyy also dismissed Putin's proposal for a local humanitarian ceasefire in Kostiantynivka, a heavily contested city in Ukraine's eastern Donetsk region.He argued that Moscow was seeking a pause to enable its forces to enter and occupy the city rather than to protect civilians.
Zelenskyy said residents had already been given opportunities to evacuate."Putin simply wants us to leave Kostiantynivka so that they can move in and occupy the entire city that way," he said.Ukraine has identified seven or eight other frontline settlements where civilians, including children, remain trapped and proposed humanitarian truces to facilitate their evacuation, Zelenskyy said. He accused Russia of preferring to use those areas as military targets.Moscow has denied deliberately targeting civilians during the war.- EndsWith inputs from