Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has disclosed that the United States proposed the possibility of Ukraine withdrawing from the eastern Donbas region in exchange for membership of the North Atlantic Treaty Organisation (NATO).

Zelensky said the proposal was raised for the first time during recent US-mediated negotiations aimed at ending the war between Ukraine and Russia.

Speaking to journalists on Friday, with his comments released on Saturday, November 14, 2026, the Ukrainian leader said American negotiators asked whether Kyiv would consider pulling out of Donbas if it were granted NATO membership.

“The Americans raised a question: ‘What if Ukraine joins NATO? Would Ukraine withdraw from Donbas?’ This was the first time this had been raised,” he said.

Donbas comprises the eastern Ukrainian regions of Donetsk and Luhansk, which Russia has sought to bring under its control. Zelensky, however, maintained that Ukraine was not prepared to surrender its territory, insisting that any decision on territorial concessions would require the consent of the Ukrainian people.

He said he would consult the public if a comprehensive security arrangement was secured, adding that Ukraine was also discussing specific security guarantees with NATO and the European Union to prevent another Russian invasion.

In a separate development, Zelensky said Russia had rejected Kyiv’s proposal for a ceasefire targeting energy infrastructure during the two-day negotiations in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates.

He also accused Russian President Vladimir Putin of using a proposed humanitarian mission to the eastern city of Kostiantynivka as a pretext to force Ukrainian troops out of the area, allowing Russian forces to occupy the city.

The talks, mediated by US envoys Jared Kushner and Steve Witkoff, ended without a breakthrough. However, the parties reportedly agreed that European officials should participate in subsequent negotiations.

Russia has consistently demanded that Ukraine withdraw from the entire Donbas region as part of any peace agreement. Moscow has also laid claim to Donetsk, Luhansk, Zaporizhzhia and Kherson, although it does not control all the territories.

The latest negotiations are part of renewed diplomatic efforts by US President Donald Trump’s administration to end the war, which began with Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022.