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Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has announced that Ukraine is prepared to abandon its pursuit of NATO membership in exchange for binding security guarantees from the United States and other nations.

Some shit you should know before you dig in: Throughout the entire war, both Ukraine and Russia have had what many say are “unrealistic” demands for ending the conflict. Ukraine has consistently insisted on the full restoration of its territorial integrity, including the return of Crimea and all occupied areas in Donbas, a complete Russian withdrawal, accountability for war crimes, and compensation from Russia to rebuild Ukraine. Zelenskyy has also demanded NATO membership and firm Western security guarantees as essential components of any peace deal. Meanwhile, Russia has demanded that Ukraine formally renounce NATO membership, recognize Russian sovereignty over Crimea, and cede control of the Donetsk and Luhansk regions, claiming them as independent or part of Russia. Moscow has also pushed for demilitarization of Ukraine and neutral status, terms many in the West say are “ridiculous.”

What’s going on now: During a meeting with U.S. Special Envoy Steve Witkoff, Jared Kushner, and German Chancellor Friedrich Merz in Berlin, President Zelenskyy made a major concession by agreeing to drop Ukraine’s bid for NATO membership. In return, he is demanding a framework of legally binding security guarantees from the United States, European partners, and others like Canada. These guarantees would be modeled after NATO’s Article 5 mutual defense clause, ensuring that any future Russian aggression would trigger immediate and collective international response.  

This push comes as the US delegation is reportedly pressing Ukraine to accept several difficult concessions in pursuit of a broader peace plan. Chief among them is a territorial compromise that would require Ukraine to withdraw from certain frontline cities in Donbas, effectively turning them into a demilitarized “free economic zone” under Russian influence. This proposal, described as part of a 19-point US-drafted peace plan, is intended to facilitate a ceasefire and an end to hostilities. However, Zelenskyy has rejected these territorial concessions, calling them unfair and asymmetric. He questioned why Ukraine should pull back if Russian forces are not required to do the same, especially after years of resisting military advances from Moscow.

The Berlin talks lasted over five hours and are set to resume, with both sides still reviewing draft agreements. Zelenskyy has stressed that the only “fair” outcome would be for both sides to freeze military positions along current front lines and negotiate broader territorial issues later through diplomacy.

More to come.