Zelenskyy Willing to Abandon NATO Bid for Western Security Guarantees as Ukraine-Russia Peace Talks Continue

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy indicated Sunday his willingness to abandon Ukraine's NATO membership pursuit if Western nations provide legally binding security guarantees, while firmly rejecting American suggestions to surrender territory to Russia during discussions with U.S. representatives about ending the conflict.

Zelenskyy met with President Donald Trump's special envoy Steve Witkoff and Trump's son-in-law Jared Kushner. The Ukrainian leader shared images of the negotiation table showing German Chancellor Friedrich Merz seated beside him across from the American delegation.

Speaking to journalists before the talks, Zelenskyy explained that since the United States and certain European countries had declined Ukraine's NATO membership aspirations, Kyiv expects Western powers to offer security assurances comparable to those provided to NATO members.

"These security guarantees represent an opportunity to prevent further Russian aggression," he stated. "This already constitutes a compromise on our part."

Russian President Vladimir Putin has consistently portrayed Ukraine's NATO ambitions as a significant security threat to Moscow and cited it as justification for launching the full-scale invasion in February 2022. The Kremlin has insisted that Ukraine abandon its pursuit of NATO membership as part of any potential peace agreement.

Zelenskyy emphasized that any security guarantees must be legally binding and supported by the U.S. Congress, noting he anticipated an update from his team following discussions between Ukrainian and American military officials in Stuttgart, Germany.

Washington has spent months navigating the demands from both sides as Trump pushes for a rapid conclusion to Russia's war and grows increasingly frustrated by delays. Efforts to find potential compromises have encountered major obstacles, including control over Ukraine's eastern Donetsk region, which Russian forces largely occupy.

Putin demands Ukraine withdraw its forces from the portion of Donetsk still under its control as a key condition for peace—a requirement Kyiv rejects.

Zelenskyy revealed that the U.S. had proposed Ukraine withdraw from Donetsk to create a demilitarized economic zone there, an idea he dismissed as impractical.

"I don't consider this fair. Who would manage this economic zone?" he questioned. "If we're discussing a buffer zone along the contact line, with only police presence and troop withdrawal, the question is straightforward. If Ukrainian troops withdraw 5-10 kilometers, why wouldn't Russian troops withdraw equally deeper into occupied territories?"

Zelenskyy described the matter as "very sensitive" and advocated for maintaining current positions, stating that "a fair option today is we stand where we stand."

Putin's foreign affairs adviser Yuri Ushakov told business daily Kommersant that Russian police and national guard would remain in parts of Donetsk even if designated as demilitarized zones under a potential peace plan.

Ushakov cautioned that finding compromise could take considerable time, noting that U.S. proposals acknowledging Russian demands had been "worsened" by modifications suggested by Ukraine and its European allies.

In comments to Russian state television broadcast Sunday, Ushakov remarked that "contributions from Ukrainians and Europeans to these documents are unlikely to be constructive," warning that Moscow would "have very strong objections."

Ushakov added that territorial issues were actively discussed when Witkoff and Kushner met with Putin earlier this month. "The Americans know and understand our position," he stated.

Zelenskyy mentioned speaking with French President Emmanuel Macron on Sunday before meeting Trump's envoys, thanking him on X for his support and adding they were "coordinating closely and working together for our shared security."

Macron pledged on X that "France is, and will remain, at Ukraine's side to build a robust and lasting peace - one that can guarantee Ukraine's security and sovereignty, and that of Europe, over the long term."

Merz, who has led European support efforts for Ukraine alongside Macron and UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer, remarked Saturday that "the decades of 'Pax Americana' are largely over for us in Europe and for us in Germany as well."

He warned that Putin aims for "a fundamental change to European borders, restoring the former Soviet Union within its boundaries."

"If Ukraine falls, he won't stop," Merz cautioned during a Munich party conference.

Putin has denied intentions to restore the Soviet Union or attack European allies.

Ukraine's air force reported that Russia launched ballistic missiles and 138 attack drones overnight. They claimed 110 were intercepted or destroyed, though impacts were recorded at six locations.

Zelenskyy reported Sunday that hundreds of thousands of families remained without power in southern, eastern, and northeastern regions, with ongoing efforts to restore electricity, heat, and water following a large-scale attack the previous night.

The Ukrainian president stated that during the past week, Russia had launched over 1,500 strike drones, nearly 900 guided aerial bombs, and 46 various missiles at Ukraine.

Russia's Defense Ministry claimed air defenses downed 235 Ukrainian drones late Saturday and early Sunday.

In Russia's Belgorod region, a drone injured a man and set his house on fire in Yasnye Zori village, according to regional Governor Vyacheslav Gladkov.

Ukrainian drones struck an oil depot in Uryupinsk in the Volgograd region, causing a fire, reported regional Governor Andrei Bocharov.

In the Krasnodar region, Ukrainian drones attacked Afipsky town, location of an oil refinery. Authorities stated explosions shattered windows in residential buildings but reported no damage to the refinery.