The United States would have proposed the cession of Ukrainian territories in exchange for joining NATO. This was reported by the leader of Kiev, Volodymyr Zelensky, speaking to journalists. According to Ukrinform, Zelensky would be willing to consider this hypothesis in exchange for concrete security guarantees, which include, in particular, Ukraine’s membership of NATO and the EU.
The disputed territories
“I have repeatedly stated that Ukraine will not surrender and will not cede its territories to terrorists – said Zelensky, as reported by Ukrinform – The Americans asked me: ‘And if Ukraine joined NATO, would it withdraw from Donbass?’. This was the first time.”
Zelensky explained that the discussion for now is about “a complete security package. Specific security guarantees from NATO and the EU, a strong Ukrainian army, and this means an adequate number of soldiers, armaments, financial support for a certain period of time, and the Prosperity Plan, which is a recovery plan supported by funds with clear sources.”
Zelensky at the same time reiterated that he would not recognize the temporarily occupied territories as Russian.
The role of the EU
Zelensky then wanted to reiterate the importance of the EU and NATO. They are seen by the Ukrainian leader as the only “real security” for Europe, and he warns against the Kremlin’s attempt to change the continent’s security architecture. “This is dangerous because, in my opinion, it is precisely things like these that lead to wars or escalations,” he stressed.
I met with mayors from cities across Ukraine – from all parts of the country – including Kharkiv, Dnipro, Uzhhorod, Ivano-Frankivsk, Chernivtsi, Cherkasy, Mykolaiv, and Vinnytsia. Also present were acting mayors of Odesa, Zaporizhzhia, Lutsk, and Rivne, as well as the Executive Director of the Association of Ukrainian Cities, the President of the Ukrainian Association of District and Regional Councils, and the Head of the Kharkiv Regional Council. Prime Minister Sergii Koretskyi was there as well. This was the first dialogue in this format, and it will now take place regularly.
Preparing cities and communities for the winter period is a priority, especially given Russia’s strikes on Ukraine’s critical and transportation infrastructure and residential buildings. Energy, air defense, internal security threats, reliable communications, and helping our people – all of this needs to be protected, restored, and ensured. We openly discussed all the challenges we face now and those that may lie ahead. We talked about how we will respond at the central level and at the regional and local government levels. The key is to ensure that accurate information about what is happening on the ground reaches us promptly from every region and city, and that the necessary decisions are made accordingly.
We also discussed finding mechanisms to help people who may face hardship during the winter. It is also important to preserve the financial capacity of communities. The main thing is to work together and deliver real results for Ukrainian society and our state. I thank everyone who is doing exactly that.
— Volodymyr Zelenskyy / Володимир Зеленський (@ZelenskyyUa) November 13, 2026