Zelenskyy: US Raised Donbas Withdrawal in Exchange for Ukraine’s NATO Membership/ NEWSLOOKS/ WASHINGTON/ J. Mansour/ Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy warned that discussions about a new European security framework could allow Russia to undermine NATO and pursue border changes. He said Washington raised a possible Donbas withdrawal linked to NATO membership, while reiterating that Ukraine would not surrender its territory. Ukraine also reported strikes on Russian oil infrastructure, as Zelenskyy outlined negotiating priorities and questioned restrictions on SpaceX’s Starshield system.
Ukraine Security Talks: Quick Look
- European security warning: Zelenskyy fears Moscow could use broader negotiations to seek changes to NATO’s presence and Europe’s borders.
- NATO membership scenario: He said Washington asked about a Ukrainian withdrawal from parts of Donbas that Russia does not control in exchange for NATO admission.
- Territorial position unchanged: Kyiv rejects surrendering territory or recognizing occupied areas as Russian.
- Russian oil facility targeted: Ukraine reported striking the Samara oil pipeline station and the Lipetsk-2 airfield.
- Prisoner exchange discussed: Zelenskyy said negotiations produced an agreement involving more than 1,000 people on each side.
- Satellite restrictions challenged: He accused SpaceX of imposing Starshield limitations that hamper Ukrainian drone interceptions.
Ukraine Security Talks: Deep Look
Zelenskyy Warns Against Expanding Talks Into a New European Security Order
KYIV, Ukraine — Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy warned that a new European security framework raised by the United States could give Russia an opportunity to weaken NATO and advance its ambitions to redraw borders.
Speaking to reporters Friday in remarks released Saturday, Zelenskyy said negotiations should concentrate on ending Russia’s war in Ukraine rather than reopening broader questions about the continent’s security arrangements.
“In my view, this can be dangerous,” he said. “This should not be the main agenda.”
Zelenskyy said he believed Russian President Vladimir Putin wanted to use the negotiations to pursue changes extending beyond Ukraine.
“Putin’s desire to change borders in Europe is a fact. I am sure this is part of his concept of revising security guarantees in Europe,” he said. “This is dangerous because, in my view, it is precisely things like this that lead to wars or escalations.”
European leaders have insisted that decisions affecting the continent’s security must involve Europeans, rejecting the prospect of Moscow dictating a new security order or negotiating NATO’s future.
U.S. Raised Donbas Withdrawal Linked to NATO Membership
Zelenskyy said Washington had asked for the first time whether Ukraine would withdraw from areas of the eastern Donbas region that remain outside Russian control if Kyiv were admitted to NATO.
He reiterated that Ukraine would not surrender its territory.
Separately, Kyiv is discussing a comprehensive security package with its partners. Zelenskyy said that package could include specific NATO and European Union guarantees, a strong Ukrainian military, financial assistance for a defined period and a recovery plan.
“If the American side confirms precisely this to us, together with other NATO partners, then I will ask our Ukrainian society what it thinks: do we accept it or not?” he said.
Any arrangement, he stressed, would exclude recognition of occupied Ukrainian territory as Russian.
Zelenskyy also rejected a commitment to neutralitysaying such a step would require constitutional changes.
“If Putin expects Ukraine’s neutrality to be enshrined, that’s not going to happen,” he said. “We’re not in NATO right now anyway.”
Ukraine Reports Strike on Russian Oil Infrastructure
Ukraine’s General Staff said Saturday that Ukrainian forces had struck the Samara oil pipeline station near Prosvet in Russia’s Samara region the previous day.
The attack set several oil storage tanks on fire, according to the Ukrainian military, which described the station as an important part of Russia’s oil export network.
Moscow had not commented on the reported strike.
Ukraine’s military also said it attacked the Lipetsk-2 airfield in Russia’s Lipetsk region.
Zelenskyy Says Ending the War Must Come First
Zelenskyy warned that broader security negotiations could allow Putin to demand changes to NATO deploymentsincluding the removal of American troops from parts of Europe.
He said the Russian leader had advanced similar ideas during discussions with then-President Joe Biden in 2021.
“I think Putin will bring up Finland and Sweden. I’m sure he will raise the issue of Hungary and the presence of American troops in the Baltic countries,” Zelenskyy said.
He argued that European NATO members should decide any changes to their security arrangements after the war ends.
“The sequence should be as follows: a ceasefire, an end to the war in Ukraine, and security guarantees for Ukraine,” he said. “There can be no security guarantees in Europe, or for Europe, without Ukraine.”
Energy Ceasefire and Black Sea Access Remain Priorities
Zelenskyy said Ukraine’s priorities during negotiations in Abu Dhabi included an energy ceasefire, reopening the Black Sea, securing prisoner releases and preparing for a meeting between leaders aimed at ending the war.
He accused Moscow of resisting an energy ceasefire and said Russian negotiators lacked authority to resolve several issues.
“At the meeting in Abu Dhabi, the Russian delegation said they didn’t have a mandate to decide this issue, but we can also see that they are unwilling,” he said.
According to Zelenskyy, negotiators were told that ceasefire questions would have to be settled directly with Putin.
Prisoner Exchange Could Involve Thousands
Zelenskyy said discussions between U.S. negotiators and officials in Moscow had produced an agreement on a prisoner exchange involving more than 1,000 people on each side.
The final figures remained under discussion, he said, estimating that between 1,200 and 1,300 people per side could be included.
He also said Washington supported Ukraine’s demand for European countries to participate directly in future negotiations.
Britain, France, Germany and Italy were among the countries represented at the Abu Dhabi meetings, according to Zelenskyy. He expected three to five European representatives to take part in subsequent discussions.
Starshield Restrictions Hamper Drone Interceptions, Zelenskyy Says
Zelenskyy also accused SpaceX of imposing restrictions on its Starshield satellite system in Russian-occupied Ukrainian territory, saying the limitations were interfering with attempts to intercept Russian drones.
He said a maximum operating speed restriction of 161 kph, or 100 mph, had been applied in occupied areas for five days.
Zelenskyy questioned explanations that the issue was technical. He said the restrictions appeared to originate with SpaceX despite earlier assurances from U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio that Starshield was more under American government control.
“The current Starshield restrictions suggest that SpaceX imposed them,” Zelenskyy said. “That’s what our team is telling me. So this doesn’t quite line up with what we heard earlier. That’s why we need to get to the bottom of all this.”
According to Zelenskyy, the limitations prevent Ukrainian forces from intercepting Russian jet-powered Shahed drones over occupied territory as they approach from the east.
Instead, he said, Ukrainian forces must wait until the drones reach areas where the restrictions do not apply.
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