US proposes Ukraine cede territory in exchange for joining NATO: Zelensky

The Ukrainian president said Russia was "betting everything" on this winter's campaign in its war with Ukraine.

Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelensky reacts during a joint statement with US envoys - President Donald Trump's son-in-law Jared Kushner and businessman Steve Witkoff (both unseen) - after their meeting at Casement Aerodrome in Baldonnel, west of Dublin, on Nov 12, 2026. (Photo: AFP/Paul Faith)

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KYIV: The United States suggested for the first time that Ukraine cede land to Russia in exchange for joining NATO, President Volodymyr Zelensky said in comments released on Saturday (Nov 14), adding that Russia had rejected an energy target ceasefire at talks this week.

Zelensky said Russia was "betting everything" on this winter's campaign in its war with Ukraine, while warning that the Kremlin's demands to redraw Europe's security architecture were "dangerous" and could lead to more wars.

Zelensky spoke to the media on Friday after visits to Denmark and Ireland, where he met with European leaders following two days of US-brokered Ukraine-Russia talks in Abu Dhabi.

The talks ended with no breakthrough in Europe's worst war since World War II, but all sides agreed that European officials should be included in future negotiations.

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