Withdraw troops from Donbas for the sake of NATO? Zelenskyy raises the possibility of a referendum

The US Is Talking About NATO in Exchange for Donbas: Are There Real Guarantees for Ukraine?

Цей матеріал також доступний:

14 Nov 2026

0 701

Representatives of the United States have for the first time raised the possibility of Ukraine joining NATO in exchange for the withdrawal of Ukrainian troops from Donbas. President Volodymyr Zelenskyy is open to putting the question to a referendum, but only if there is a concrete proposal backed by Ukraine’s allies. This was reported by the German publication BILD on November 14, 2026, citing Ukrainian media.

According to the president, the American side asked whether Ukraine would agree to withdraw its troops from Donbas in exchange for membership in the North Atlantic Alliance. Unlike previous discussions about security guarantees modeled on NATO, this time, according to the publication, the proposal concerned possible membership in the Alliance itself.

Zelenskyy is open to a referendum but demands specifics

Volodymyr Zelenskyy emphasized that he would not make a unilateral decision on such a sensitive issue. If the United States, together with other NATO members, confirms that Ukraine has a genuine path to membership and agrees on the terms, the president is prepared to put them before the public for open discussion, including in a referendum.

If such a proposal is made, I, as president, will engage in an open dialogue with society and say: “Look, this is where we stand; this is how all our partners have come together, and this is how they see things moving forward.” I have no right to decide this on my own. But we need specifics, which we do not yet have, and all of this must be discussed.

Among the matters that would need to be defined in a potential security package, BILD lists protection for Ukraine under the principle of Article 5 of the North Atlantic Treaty, long-term funding and weapons for the Ukrainian army, as well as assistance with reconstruction. At the same time, Ukraine’s potential membership depends on the consent of the Alliance’s other member states. No confirmed agreement or finalized terms are in place at this time.

Ukraine will not recognize the occupied territories as Russian

Volodymyr Zelenskyy also stressed that even if Ukrainian troops were to withdraw from Donbas, Ukraine would not recognize the temporarily occupied territories as part of Russia. Thus, discussions about a military withdrawal do not constitute a legal renunciation of Ukrainian land.

For comparison, on November 10, 2026, in an interview with Danish broadcaster DR Nyheder, the president said that the Americans had proposed discussing Donbas in exchange for security guarantees similar to NATO’s, but without membership. At the time, he insisted on clear commitments from Ukraine’s partners and warned that territorial concessions alone would not prevent further Russian aggression.