US Floats Donbas-for-NATO Deal as Putin Reasserts Territorial Demands
Updated
Updated · Euronews · Nov 14
US Floats Donbas-for-NATO Deal as Putin Reasserts Territorial Demands
3 articles · Updated · Euronews · Nov 14
Summary
Volodymyr Zelenskyy said Washington for the first time raised Ukraine giving up Donbas territory to Russia in exchange for NATO membership, adding he would put any confirmed Western-backed terms to Ukrainians.
Putin hardened the backdrop for those talks by telling US envoys in Moscow that Russia would not retreat from its territorial demands and would not accept foreign peacekeeping troops in Ukraine.
Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner then met Zelenskyy in Ireland, where the sides said Europe would have a voice in negotiations covering both territorial questions and postwar European security arrangements.
Moscow quickly undercut that opening: foreign ministry spokesperson Maria Zakharova said the issue was not discussed with the US envoys, while aide Yuri Ushakov said Europeans must choose between peace and prolonging the war.