The United States of America has declared that Ukraine will withdraw its remaining forces from the eastern region of Donbas, in exchange for NATO membership, Ukrainian President Voldymyr Zelensky has declared, reports BBC.

Zelensky has indicated that this idea has been set up by American negotiators during efforts to reach an agreement to conclude the war between Ukraine and Russia.

The Americans raised a question: What if Ukraine joins NATO? Would Ukraine withdraw from Donbas? ) This was the first time such a case was raised, Zelensky has stated in comments published Saturday by his office.

Ukrainian president has said that if such a proposal included security guarantees, without restrictions for the Ukrainian Army and funds for the country’s reconstruction, it would present it to citizens through a referendum.

His statements come after US envoys’ meetings, Jared Kouchner and Steve Whitoff, with Russian President Vladimir Putin in Moscow and Zelensky in Dublin, under Donald Trump’s administration’s efforts to end the war.

However, Moscow continues to seek territorial concessions and the neutrality of Ukraine, conditions that Kiev has consistently rejected, arguing they would weaken the country’s ability to protect from future aggression.

Russia currently controls about a fifth of Ukrainian territory, including most of the Donjeck and Luhansk regions, which make up the Donbas region. The withdrawal of Ukrainian forces from territories still controlling the region would be of great political and symbolic importance to Kiev.

Meanwhile, Russia has returned its 2021 requirements, demanding that NATO stop enlargement near its borders and withdraw military infrastructure from Central and Eastern European countries that joined the alliance after the Soviet Union was disbanded.

Zelensky has warned that the negotiations remain difficult, referring to the Russian president’s positions. Moscow has insisted it will not end fighting without a final agreement involving territorial settlement and security guarantees.

Recent talks come in a period of tension between Kiev and Washington, following disagreements over Ukrainian attacks on oil facilities in Russia and the alleged restrictions by Zelensky on using the Starlink service for defence operations.

Trump has also called for new elections in Ukraine, while Zelensky has declared earlier that he is willing to hold them within months after reaching a peace agreement.

Source Layer: Dukeagini