Zelenskyy willing to drop bid for NATO, as European-U.S. peace talks continue

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy is expressing cautious optimism about proposed measures for Ukrainian security, following two days of peace talks with American and European negotiators.

While he has said he'd be willing to drop his bid to join NATO, Zelenskyy is hoping for a NATO-like security pact. Still, peace is anything but assured, as Russia did not participate in this round of negotiations, and both sides remain firm in their stances on ceding territory in the eastern Donbas region of Ukraine to Russia, which wants nearly 15% of the territory.

NPR's Kyiv bureau chief Joanna Kakissis joins Here & Now to discuss the latest in the talks.