Trump's son-in-law responds to Zelensky regarding Ukraine's proposal to join NATO

- Jared Kushner, son-in-law of US President Donald Trump, responded to what Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky announced that the United States offered Ukraine to cede the Donbass region to Russia in exchange for its membership in NATO. In a post on social media on Saturday, Kushner said, without mentioning the NATO membership proposal that the Ukrainian president said had been put forward, that “several new ideas emerged during these discussions and are currently being explored.”

Kushner added that "NATO will remain a fundamental pillar of European security," adding that Trump "will only support arrangements that strengthen the security of Ukraine and Europe." For his part, William Taylor, the former US ambassador to Ukraine, told Jessica Dean of the Ofoq News network that eventually joining NATO may represent the security guarantee that Ukraine needs to agree to a ceasefire.

However, Taylor pointed out that this offer is not in the hands of Washington alone, as the joining of a new country into NATO requires unanimous approval from all other member states. “Every NATO member state has its own opinion,” Taylor said.

Most countries may agree, but there may be two countries within the alliance that do not agree. Therefore, this cannot be considered a firm offer at the moment.”

The Ukrainian president clarifies the details of the American proposal. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said on Saturday that the United States had raised the idea of ​​Ukraine ceding the eastern Donbas region to Russia in exchange for membership in the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO), during the recent talks. Zelensky told reporters that it was the "first time" that American negotiators had raised something like this.

“The Americans asked a question: What if Ukraine joins NATO? This was the first time this issue was raised,” Zelensky said.

Zelensky stressed that Ukraine would not give up its territory, but indicated that if he received a "comprehensive security package" - which includes a strong Ukrainian army and guarantees from NATO - he would present the proposal to his people. He added: “If the American side confirms this to us specifically, in cooperation with other NATO partners, I will ask the Ukrainian community for its opinion: does it accept this or not?”

I have no right to make a decision like this on my own. But we need specific details, and we do not have these details yet.”

Russian President Vladimir Putin has long sought to control this region, while using Ukraine's potential membership in NATO as a pretext for launching his large-scale invasion in 2022. Large parts of the Donbas region are currently under Russia's control, although the Russian ground offensive there has largely stopped.

A new security proposal for Europe. Zelensky explained that the American team sought during the Abu Dhabi talks to discuss a new security framework for Europe, a proposal that Zelensky considered a ploy on the part of Russia to change the balance of power in Europe and the world. He said: “I believe that the Russians seek primarily to redistribute influence in Europe.” Zelensky said that the idea of ​​creating a new European security infrastructure could be dangerous and should not be discussed until a ceasefire is first negotiated and then Russia's war with Ukraine is ended.

The Ukrainian president welcomed the agreement regarding the possibility of the participation of representatives of European countries in future peace negotiations, a step announced by the two American envoys, although the Kremlin did not fully support the idea. Moscow has resisted European participation, which means that for almost two years, Europe - now Ukraine's biggest backer - has been effectively sidelined in peace talks.

Zelensky said: “The main thing is that Europe will be present, and it must now decide, in agreement with us, what specifically will be discussed.” No breakthrough in peace talks Peace talks between Ukraine and Russia, mediated by America, were held in Abu Dhabi last Tuesday and Wednesday.

Trump administration envoys Jared Kushner, son-in-law of US President Donald Trump, and Steve Witkoff, special envoy to the Middle East, played a mediating role in these tripartite discussions. These talks are the first of their kind that have brought the two parties together in months, although they ended without achieving any breakthrough.

After that, Kushner and Witkov met with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky and Russian President Vladimir Putin. Zelensky and US Secretary of State Marco Rubio described the meetings as “constructive,” although they ended without achieving any major breakthrough.