NYT: Ukraine may cede part of territory for security guarantees

Ukraine has reached a point where it could agree to territorial concessions in exchange for Western security guarantees, said former European diplomat in Kyiv and political analyst Balázs Jarábik.

“If, in exchange, it (Ukraine) has to give up Donbas, I think it will,” he told The New York Times.

The expert added that this could be done “in exchange for a peace agreement that would provide Ukraine with Western security guarantees.”

Russian President Vladimir Putin, during a meeting with U.S. President Donald Trump in Alaska on August 16, reiterated demands for Ukraine to cede all of Donbas, renounce NATO membership, and limit its military in exchange for peace. Trump, supportive of territorial concessions, hosted Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and European leaders on August 18 to push for a peace deal, urging Zelenskyy to negotiate quickly.

Zelenskyy rejected Putin’s demands as “absurd,” insisting on Russian troop withdrawal and prisoner releases before talks, while emphasising Ukraine’s territorial integrity. No direct Putin-Zelenskyy meeting is scheduled, with Russia insisting on its terms and Trump pausing mediation efforts amid ongoing tensions.

By Khagan Isayev