In brief: President Volodymyr Zelensky revealed on Nov. 13 that US negotiators asked for the first time whether Ukraine would withdraw its troops from Donbas if admitted to NATO. Zelensky said that if Washington and NATO allies confirm a concrete security package – including Article 5-level guarantees, military funding, and recovery support – he would put the decision to the Ukrainian public while categorically ruling out legal recognition of occupied territories as Russian.
US representatives asked during recent negotiations whether Ukraine would be willing to withdraw its military forces from the Donbas region in exchange for admission to NATO, President Volodymyr Zelensky told journalists on Friday, Nov. 13.
Zelensky stated that US officials raised the question for the first time during the latest diplomatic round.
Follow our coverage of the war on the @Kyivpost_official.
While Kyiv has consistently maintained that it will not retreat or surrender sovereign land, the president said any concrete package combining NATO membership, binding security guarantees, and reconstruction financing would be submitted directly to the Ukrainian public for consideration.
“If the American side confirms this to us together with other NATO colleagues, then I will ask the opinion of our society: do we accept or do we not accept? I do not have the right not to do this at my own discretion. But specifics are needed, which do not exist yet, and all of this is under discussion,” Zelensky said.
However, the president stressed that Ukraine will under no circumstances legally recognize occupied Ukrainian territories as part of Russia.
“If there is such a proposal, I, as president, will enter into an open dialogue with society and say: ‘Look, here is where we are, here is how all partners have united, and here is how they see it moving forward.’ Undoubtedly, without any recognition of occupied territories as Russian,” Zelensky added.
What security guarantees is Ukraine seeking from partners?
Zelensky explained that Kyiv and its international partners are negotiating a comprehensive security package encompassing concrete guarantees from NATO and the EU, a strong Ukrainian military with guaranteed troop levels and weaponry, and financial backing for a post-war recovery plan with clearly defined funding sources.
The president stated that full NATO membership would reduce the likelihood of renewed Russian aggression, establishing security guarantees modeled on Article 5 of the North Atlantic Treaty as the necessary baseline minimum for any settlement.
Zelensky noted that some partners have proposed bilateral security arrangements modeled on US commitments to Israel or defense agreements maintained with Arab states in the Middle East, which involve American bases, naval and air deployments, and air defense systems such as Patriot batteries that shield host nations when attacked.
While acknowledging that such deployments represent one potential model for security guarantees, Zelensky expressed caution regarding their reliability, noting that NATO’s collective defense clause has been invoked only once in history following the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks on the US.
According to Zelensky, Denmark and other Nordic countries actively support Ukraine’s accession to NATO. Arguing that Ukraine’s battle-hardened armed forces would strengthen the alliance, the president stated that the question of Ukrainian NATO membership has returned to the diplomatic agenda.
Zelensky warns Washington against trusting Moscow
Zelensky said he directly cautioned US negotiators that Russian President Vladimir Putin cannot be trusted, asserting that the Kremlin leader is exploiting diplomatic mediation to complicate negotiations and prolong the war.
“When Putin says something about state borders, it is certainly not about reducing Russia’s territory, right? Therefore, there is no faith in the comrade in the Kremlin,” Zelensky told reporters.
The president’s remarks follow the second round of US-mediated trilateral talks held in Abu Dhabi on Nov. 10-11, as well as subsequent consultations in Moscow between Putin and senior US envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner.
While White House officials announced progress toward a large-scale prisoner exchange and future European participation in negotiations, fundamental disputes over territory and post-war security guarantees remain unresolved.
Kyiv Post is Ukraine’s first and oldest English news organization, reporting since 1995. Its international reach – 90% of readers are outside of Ukraine – make it truly Ukraine’s global voice.