US suggested Kyiv cede land to Russia
KYIV, UKRAINE—Washington has suggested Ukraine cede land to Russia in exchange for joining the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (Nato), President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said in comments released on Saturday, adding that it indicated his country’s ties with the Western military alliance are “back on the agenda.”
Zelenskyy also warned the Kremlin was “betting everything” on this winter’s military campaign.
Moscow has pounded Ukraine in the run-up to the colder months, with Russian President Vladimir Putin showing no sign of backing down.
US envoys Jared Kushner and Steve Witkoff met both Putin and Zelenskyy separately on Thursday after two days of talks with their delegations in Abu Dhabi, which ended with no breakthrough.
“The Americans raised a question: ‘What if Ukraine joins Nato? Would Ukraine withdraw from Donbas?’ This was the first time this had been raised,” Zelenskyy said.
“After providing Ukraine with this kind of defense support, seeing this kind of development of our army and this strength in our defense, they cannot simply let Ukraine go,” he added.
‘Back on agenda’
He said the discussion showed that “Nato is back on the agenda” for Ukraine.
Ukraine has long sought to enter the military alliance, which Moscow has considered a red line.
Nato and Washington have not yet commented directly on Zelenskyy’s account.
Kushner, President Donald Trump’s son-in-law, later posted on X that media had reported “maximalist propositions proposed by both sides, along with strong political rhetoric.”
“However, we are determined to continue the hard work, maintain the confidentiality necessary for sensitive negotiations, and find a pathway to end this horrible war,” he said, adding “several new ideas emerged from the discussions and are now being explored.”
This week’s meetings have led to agreements that European countries would join future talks on ending the war.
