Zelensky Warns US Security Plan Could Serve Putin’s Aims

Zelensky said Washington had raised the idea of a new European security framework in pursuit of ending Russia’s war in Ukraine. He warned that Moscow could use broader talks to challenge NATO and seek changes to Europe’s borders. European leaders have argued that Europeans must decide the continent’s security arrangements. Zelensky said any changes should come only after the war ends, and that Ukraine must have security guarantees before broader European guarantees are settled.

He said the United States had asked whether Ukraine would give up parts of the Donbas that Russia does not control in exchange for NATO membership. Zelensky said Kyiv would not surrender territory or accept neutrality, which he said would require a constitutional change. Ukraine is discussing a security package involving possible NATO and EU guarantees, military and financial support, and a recovery plan.

Ukraine’s priorities in Abu Dhabi talks include a pause in attacks on energy infrastructure, restoring access to the Black Sea, exchanges of prisoners and planning a meeting of leaders. Zelensky said talks with US negotiators produced an agreement for an exchange of more than 1,000 prisoners on each side, with the total still being worked out at an estimated 1,200 to 1,300. He said European countries should take part directly in future negotiations. Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said Russia was open to representatives chosen by European countries.

Ukraine’s General Staff said Ukrainian forces struck an oil pipeline station in Russia’s Samara region on November 13, setting several storage tanks on fire, and also hit an airfield in the Lipetsk region. Moscow had not commented on the reported strike. Ukraine’s Emergency Service said 22 people, among them three children, suffered injuries during a Russian assault on Zaporizhzhia that day. Zelensky also said restrictions on SpaceX’s Starshield system in occupied areas were hindering Ukrainian efforts to intercept Russian drones.

Ukraine Must Have a Voice in Europe’s Security Talks

Zelensky’s warning puts the central risk of a wider European security deal in view: discussions framed as a way to end the war could become an opening to renegotiate NATO and Europe’s borders on Moscow’s terms. He said European governments—not Russia—must determine the continent’s security, and that Ukraine cannot be left out of those decisions.

The reported US question about Ukraine withdrawing from parts of the Donbas it still controls, in exchange for NATO membership, makes the stakes concrete. Zelensky rejected surrendering territory and ruled out neutrality, while saying Kyiv is discussing guarantees, military strength, financial support and recovery. Any arrangement, he stressed, would not recognize occupied land as Russian.

Ukraine is also pressing for practical steps: an energy ceasefire, access to the Black Sea, prisoner releases and a leaders’ meeting. Zelensky said a prisoner exchange exceeding 1,000 people per side had been agreed in talks with US negotiators, with the precise number still being determined. He wants European countries inside future negotiations, not watching from outside; Russia’s spokesman said Moscow would accept European representatives.

The war’s immediate costs continued on November 13. Ukraine’s General Staff said its forces struck an oil pipeline station in Samara and an airfield in Lipetsk. Ukraine’s Emergency Service said a Russian attack wounded 22 people in Zaporizhzhia, including three children. Zelensky also said Starshield restrictions were hampering efforts to intercept Russian drones. These developments underline why any settlement must protect Ukraine rather than treat its security as a bargaining chip.

Zelensky Rejects Neutrality as US Explores Security Framework

Zelensky is warning that a broad redesign of European security could weaken NATO, even as the United States explores a framework tied to ending the war. He says Putin could use the discussion to press for changes to NATO’s presence and Europe’s borders. The dispute is not only about ending the fighting: it is also about whether negotiations expand into a remaking of the continent’s security order.

Zelensky said Washington asked if Ukraine would cede some of the Donbas territory it holds in return for NATO membership. He rejected giving up territory and ruled out neutrality, which he said would require a constitutional amendment. Kyiv is instead discussing guarantees, military and financial backing, and a recovery plan. Zelensky says Ukrainians would be asked to assess a confirmed proposal with NATO partners.

Ukraine wants an energy ceasefire, reopened Black Sea access, prisoner releases and a leaders’ meeting. Zelensky said US talks yielded an agreement for an exchange involving more than 1,000 prisoners on each side, with an estimated total of 1,200 to 1,300. He also insists Europeans participate directly in future negotiations. Russia says it is open to whichever representatives European countries select.

The conflict continued on November 13, when Ukraine’s General Staff said Ukrainian forces hit an oil pipeline station in Samara and an airfield in Lipetsk. Ukraine’s Emergency Service said 22 people, including three children, were wounded in a Russian attack on Zaporizhzhia. Zelensky also said Starshield restrictions in occupied territory were limiting drone interceptions. The competing security proposals now sit alongside battlefield strikes and the unresolved question of what guarantees could end the war.