The US is said to have offered Ukraine NATO membership in exchange for a painful concession: Kyiv must withdraw from the Donbas.
This is according to Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, as reported by Die Welt.
“The Americans raised a question: ‘What if Ukraine joins NATO? Would Ukraine withdraw from the Donbas?’ This was the first time this question had been asked,” Zelenskyy told journalists on Friday.
It does not sound very likely that the US would have offered Ukraine NATO membership. It has long been well known that the Kremlin cannot accept such a solution, and Putin reiterated that Russia categorically rejects Ukraine’s membership of NATO.
Not even the presence of NATO soldiers as peacekeeping forces following a potential peace agreement is acceptable to Russia, as Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov has repeatedly emphasised.
Zelenskyy went on to say that Kyiv was discussing “specific security guarantees from NATO and the EU”. The Ukrainian president has consistently denied that Kyiv is willing to give up the Donbas. He is now leaving the door slightly ajar, but stresses that this is up to the people of Ukraine: if this were to form part of an agreement to end the war in Ukraine, he would let the Ukrainian people vote on it.
“I do not have the right to make this decision alone.”
Kyiv’s demands are concrete assurances from NATO and the EU, a well-funded Ukrainian army and support for reconstruction. This would require enormous financial transfers from Europe and the US, in a situation where both continents are already burdened by debt.
Zelenskyy rejects Putin’s proposed changes to the security architecture in Europe and describes them as ‘dangerous’. He said this could lead to new wars.
“Real security in Europe means the EU and NATO. That is all. There is no other security in Europe.”
Ukraine rejects neutral status
One of Russia’s main demands for ending the war is that Ukraine remain a neutral country, which is difficult to reconcile with NATO membership. But Zelenskyy rejects the Kremlin’s demand for neutrality.
“If Putin assumes that Ukraine’s neutrality will be enshrined in law, this will not happen.”
