Three killed in Russia as Ukraine claims US floated NATO membership option

Zelenskyy says the US asked for the first time whether Kyiv would cede land to Moscow in exchange for Ukraine’s NATO bid.

A Ukrainian drone attack has killed a mother, father and their 24-month-old daughter at their home in Belgorod, a Russian region bordering Ukraine, according to Russian authorities.

The deadly attack came on Saturday in Proletarsky, about 20km (12 miles) from Ukraine’s border as Russia’s Ministry of Defence claimed the army intercepted 29 Ukrainian drones overnight, including several over the Moscow region.

In turn, Ukraine’s air force said Russia launched 96 drones from Friday evening, of which 81 were shot down or electronically suppressed as of early Saturday. It reported hits at eight locations and falling debris at two others, while a local power supplier reported outages in parts of northeastern Sumy.

Meanwhile, in Friday’s comments to reporters that were under embargo until Saturday, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said United States negotiators had asked during this week’s Abu Dhabi talks whether Ukraine would withdraw its troops from its eastern region of Donbas in exchange for joining NATO, the transatlantic military alliance.

Zelenskyy said the question had been raised for the first time but that no concrete offer existed. Zelenskyy maintained that Ukraine would not withdraw its troops but could put the issue to a referendum if Kyiv received firm security guarantees, funding for its armed forces and money for reconstruction.

“NATO is back on the agenda,” he said.

Donbas comprises Donetsk and Luhansk, two eastern Ukrainian regions partly occupied by Russia.

Moscow demands a Ukrainian withdrawal from areas Kyiv still controls, while also opposing Ukraine joining NATO, whose members pledge to defend one another.

Zelenskyy said on Friday that he would not amend Ukraine’s constitution to make it neutral, arguing the move would not guarantee lasting security.

Ukraine has been defending itself, with Western assistance, against a full-scale Russian invasion since February 2022.

This past week brought a resumption of US-mediated direct talks between the Russians and Ukrainians, which raised hopes of an early end to the war.

However, apart from renewed prisoner exchanges, there appears to have been little progress. European representatives are set to take part in the next round of talks.

Zelenskyy said the European Union and NATO are Europe’s “only real security” and that Moscow’s bid to review the continent’s security was “dangerous because … it is precisely things like this that lead to wars or escalations”.