The United States first offered Ukraine NATO membership in exchange for leaving Donbass, Zelensky said.
"I said again and again: Ukraine is not retreating and is not giving up its lands to terrorists," stressed the President of Ukraine.
Kyiv is now discussing with its partners a comprehensive package, which includes specific security guarantees from NATO and the European Union, a strong Ukrainian army with an "appropriate number of military personnel", weapons, financial support and a plan to rebuild the country, Vladimir Zelensky said.
According to the Ukrainian leader, if the American side and other NATO partners approve such a proposal, he will submit it for discussion in Ukrainian society. Zelensky stated that he cannot make such a decision at his own discretion, the Interfax-Ukraine news agency reports.
According to him, the American side is now talking about guarantees similar to Articles 4 and 5 of NATO. The deployment of American troops on the territory of Ukraine is not included in this guarantee draft. Washington calls such guarantees bilateral and compares them to security agreements with Israel and several countries in the Middle East, says Zelensky.