Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy announced on Sunday his readiness to reconsider Ukraine’s pursuit of NATO membership in exchange for security guarantees from Western nations. Nevertheless, he firmly opposed the US proposal to cede territory to Russia during discussions aimed at ending the ongoing conflict.
President Zelenskyy met with Steve Witkoff, the special envoy of US President Donald Trump, and Trump’s son-in-law, Jared Kushner. He shared images from the meeting, which showed German Chancellor Friedrich Merz seated next to him at the negotiating table, facing the US delegation.
In audio clips shared with journalists before the discussions, President Zelenskyy clarified that, given the US and certain European countries’ rejection of Ukraine’s NATO membership request, Kyiv now anticipates receiving security guarantees from the West comparable to those extended to NATO member states.
“These security guarantees are an opportunity to prevent another wave of Russian aggression,” he said. “And this is already a compromise on our part.”
Russian President Vladimir Putin has labelled Ukraine’s NATO membership bid as a significant threat to Russia’s security, which he used to justify the full-scale invasion in February 2022. The Kremlin insists that Ukraine must abandon its NATO aspirations as part of any peace agreement.
Ukrainian President stressed that any security guarantees must be legally binding and approved by the US Congress. He is awaiting updates from a meeting between Ukrainian and US military officials in Stuttgart, Germany.
Efforts to find compromises have faced significant obstacles, particularly regarding Ukraine’s eastern Donetsk region, part of which is occupied by Russian forces. Putin has demanded that Ukraine withdraw its troops from the part of Donetsk still under its control, a request Kyiv has rejected. Zelenskyy also dismissed a US proposal for Ukraine to withdraw from Donetsk and establish a demilitarised free economic zone as unworkable.
“I do not consider this fair, because who will manage this economic zone?” he said. “If we are talking about some buffer zone along the line of contact, if we are talking about some economic zone, and we believe that only a police mission should be there and troops should withdraw, then the question is straightforward. If Ukrainian troops withdraw 5–10 kilometers, for example, then why do Russian troops not withdraw deeper into the occupied territories by the same distance?”
Zelenskyy called the situation “very sensitive” and proposed a ceasefire along the line of contact, asserting that “maintaining our current positions is a fair option.” Yuri Ushakov, Putin’s adviser, informed the daily Kommersant that Russian police and national guard would remain in parts of the Donetsk region, even if designated a demilitarised zone under a potential peace plan. He warned that reaching a compromise might take time and mentioned that US proposals had been altered unfavourably by Ukraine and its European allies. Speaking to Russian state TV, Ushakov noted that Ukrainian and European contributions were unlikely to be constructive and that Moscow would strongly object. He also highlighted that the territorial issue was discussed during the meeting between Witkoff, Kushner, and Putin earlier this month.
Merz, who has been at the forefront of European initiatives to support Ukraine alongside French President Emmanuel Macron and U.K. Prime Minister Keir Starmer, remarked on Saturday that “the decades of ‘Pax Americana’ are largely over for us in Europe and for us in Germany as well.” He emphasised the seriousness of the situation by stating that Putin seeks “a fundamental change to the borders in Europe, aiming for the restoration of the old Soviet Union within its former borders.” During a party conference in Munich, Merz cautioned, “If Ukraine falls, he won’t stop.”
In response to these concerns, Putin has denied any intentions to restore the Soviet Union or to attack any European allies.
This article used information from The Associated Press.
