Washington proposes ceding Donbas for NATO, according to Zelensky
By the AFREEQUE newsroom, based on BFMTV, Vanguard and Bénin Web TV
According to BFMTV, Volodymyr Zelensky says American envoys put forward Ukraine’s integration into NATO in exchange for withdrawing from Donbas. The Ukrainian president has not announced that he accepts this withdrawal, and discussions on security guarantees with Western partners continue.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky explained on Friday 13 November at a press briefing that US negotiators had, for the first time, put a precise question: if Ukraine joined NATO, would it give up Donbas? He stressed: 'I don’t have the right to make this decision alone.'
For Zelensky, the question can only be settled after 'specific' guarantees from the Atlantic Alliance and the European Union. If these are confirmed, he would put the proposal to a referendum. This should exclude any restriction on the Ukrainian armed forces and provide for funding for reconstruction.
Moscow in particular demands Ukraine’s neutrality and limits on the size of its army, conditions that Kyiv rejects, seeing them as a threat to its defence capacity. Earlier, US officials had ruled out Ukraine joining NATO; Zelensky now believes this prospect is back in the discussions, while judging negotiations with Vladimir Putin to be difficult. Donbas, made up of the Donetsk and Luhansk regions, is largely occupied by Russia. As early as February, Zelensky had cited American and Russian demands for a full withdrawal of Ukrainian forces from this area.
Zelensky also says Moscow is 'staking everything' on its military campaign this winter, as the war approaches its fifth anniversary. He believes the European Union and NATO form the only 'true security' for Europe, and warns against the Kremlin’s desire to reshape the continent’s security architecture, which he says could provoke further wars. Finally, he calls on the US Congress to adopt a bill providing for sanctions and arms deliveries, which he considers likely to push Putin to de-escalate.
