US negotiators have floated the idea of Ukraine’s ​potential withdrawal from its eastern region of Donbas in exchange for joining NATO, President Volodymyr Zelenskiy said, following the latest round of peace talks with ‌Russia in Abu Dhabi.

This is the first time the question of linking NATO membership to territorial concessions has been raised during the talks, Zelenskiy said in remarks to reporters released by his office on Saturday, Reuters reported.

“The Americans raised a question: ‘What if Ukraine joins NATO? Would Ukraine withdraw from Donbas?” he said.

“That is why I believe NATO is back on the agenda. But you have also heard (Russian President Vladimir) Putin’s ​signals, and this is an extremely difficult conversation.”

Putin has long said Ukrainian membership of NATO is a red line for Moscow, citing the issue as one ​reason for launching Russia’s full-blown invasion in 2022.

Zelenskiy reiterated his position that Kyiv was not ready to concede territory but said that ⁠if it received a comprehensive package including security guarantees, the right to a strong and well-funded Ukrainian army and funds to rebuild, he would put the question to a ​national referendum.

‘THIS WAR MUST BE ENDED FIRST’

Echoing comments made by European leaders at a summit in Dublin on Friday, Zelenskiy dismissed Russia’s call for a broad agreement on European security ​architecture to be reached before the specifics are agreed on how to end the war in Ukraine.

“We cannot turn everything upside down and start by talking about changing the security framework in the world or across the continent overall, and only then talk about ending this war. This war must be ended first,” he said.

US President Donald Trump’s envoy and son-in-law Jared Kushner said on Saturday that the two ​sides had set out “maximalist positions” in the talks this week, but in private discussions both “understand that practical compromises will be necessary to end this war.”

“Serious and constructive work continues ​among those of us committed to finding solutions,” Kushner said in a social media post.

Zelenskiy also dismissed Putin’s suggestion for a local humanitarian ceasefire in Kostiantynivka, a hotly contested city in Ukraine’s ‌eastern Donetsk ⁠region, saying it reflected Moscow’s inability to take the city by force. Civilians there have already had the opportunity to evacuate, he added.

“Putin simply wants us to leave Kostiantynivka so that they can move in and occupy the entire city that way,” he said.

Ukraine has given a list of seven or eight other frontline settlements where civilians, including children, are trapped for a potential humanitarian truce but Russia prefers to use them as military targets, Zelenskiy said.

Moscow denies deliberately targeting civilians in the war.

LARGE PRISONER EXCHANGE AGREED

The two days of ​US-brokered talks between Ukraine and Russia concluded ​on Wednesday in the Emirati capital without ⁠a major breakthrough, though the sides agreed to a prisoner exchange that will involve more than 1,000 people, Zelenskiy said.

The final numbers for the prisoner swap were still under discussion, he added.

Kushner and fellow US envoy Steve Witkoff had pledged to raise an energy ​ceasefire with Putin at a meeting in Moscow on Thursday, Zelenskiy said, but there was no news of any progress after ​their talks.

“Putin personally does ⁠not support a ceasefire,” he said.

Zelenskiy met Witkoff and Kushner on Thursday in Ireland after their talks in Moscow. He said the US negotiators had told him that all sides had agreed for Europe to have a seat at the negotiating table in forthcoming peace talks.

In Abu Dhabi, delegates from Europe — which is now Ukraine’s largest financial and military backer — had talks ⁠with US ​and Ukrainian officials but did not sit at the table with Russia.

At the summit in Ireland, EU leaders ​agreed that Europe’s team for any Ukraine peace talks would comprise five major military powers — non-EU member Britain plus France, Germany, Italy and Poland — as well as EU officials.

Kushner said the US focus was now on “facilitating ​direct engagement between Moscow and European partners and preparing the agenda for the next round of trilateral talks.”

Afghanistan’s Finance Minister Mohammad Nasir Akhund has met with Iran’s Agriculture Minister Gholamreza Nouri Ghezeljeh to discuss expanding bilateral economic and trade cooperation.

The meeting took place during Akhund’s official visit to Iran.

According to a statement from the Ministry of Finance, the discussions focused on preparations for the next meeting of the joint economic commission, exports of Afghan agricultural products to Iran, and ensuring 24-hour operations at customs facilities.

The two sides also discussed addressing challenges faced by Afghan traders, preventing the smuggling of illegal goods, and other trade and economic issues.

Iran’s agriculture minister expressed readiness to cooperate with Afghanistan in the fields of agriculture, livestock and irrigation. He also assured the Afghan delegation that Iran would make the necessary preparations for the upcoming meeting of the joint economic commission and continue efforts to strengthen cooperation in these areas.

The Saudi-led coalition fighting Yemen’s Iran-aligned Houthis said ​on Sunday it had intercepted two ‌Houthi ballistic missiles launched towards the Saudi capital Riyadh and three drones in ​the kingdom’s oil-rich Eastern Province.

The Houthis, ​who control most of the populous ⁠parts of Yemen, have intensified ​attacks on the Saudi capital in recent ​days. A Houthi attack last week damaged an administrative building of the state oil company Saudi ​Aramco in Riyadh’s financial hub, Reuters reported.

The ​Eastern Province, the economic powerhouse of Saudi Arabia, ‌has ⁠been subject to multiple attacks by Houthis in the past few weeks.

It contains the majority of the kingdom’s oil ​and gas ​reserves ⁠and is home to Aramco’s headquarters, which suffered extensive damage ​in an attack in October.

The ​Houthis ⁠have stepped up strikes on Saudi airports, ports and oil facilities, while ⁠Saudi ​Arabia has ramped up ​airstrikes on Houthi targets in Yemen in response.