The United States has suggested security assurances for Ukraine that are akin to, but distinct from, NATO’s collective defense agreement, according to Italy’s Prime Minister and a diplomatic source on Saturday.
This proposal emerged during a call between U.S. President Donald Trump, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, and various European leaders, which took place following Trump’s summit with Russia’s Vladimir Putin.
“Among the security assurances proposed for Ukraine is a guarantee resembling a non-NATO Article 5 agreement, reportedly discussed with Putin,” the diplomatic source informed AFP, insisting on anonymity.
NATO’s collective defense hinges on Article 5: an attack on one member triggers a unified response from the entire alliance.
Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, who participated in the call with Trump, confirmed that the U.S. president mentioned the idea of a security guarantee “inspired” by Article 5, something she has advocated for over several months.
The proposal aims to establish a collective security clause “that would enable Ukraine to receive support from all its partners, including the U.S., which would be prepared to respond if Ukraine faces another attack,” Meloni stated.
In March, Meloni told Italian senators that any retaliatory response would not necessarily mean going to war.
She emphasized that while NATO’s Article 5 permits military action, “this is not the sole possible response.”
Ukraine has long sought NATO membership; however, Russia has cited this desire as a justification for its invasion, and there is some hesitance among Western nations regarding this prospect.
Trump has consistently dismissed the notion of Ukraine joining the military alliance.
Prior to the joint call with Zelensky and European leaders, Trump had a discussion solely with the Ukrainian president about the Alaska summit that took place on Friday.
“The American side presented this [joint security proposal] during its dialogue with President Zelensky and reiterated it in the conversation with the European leaders,” the diplomatic source mentioned.
Another informant familiar with the situation confirmed that the NATO-like guarantees were brought to the table.
However, this informant expressed skepticism: “No one understands how this would function or why Putin would agree to such terms when he is fundamentally opposed to NATO and clearly against robust guarantees for Ukraine’s sovereignty.”
Meloni’s remarks did not clarify whether this idea was shared with Putin.
Zelensky is scheduled to visit Washington on Monday for discussions with Trump.
The second informant indicated that Zelensky plans to address the potential format of a summit involving Trump, Putin, and himself, alongside the role of Ukraine’s European allies in peace negotiations, territorial issues, and security assurances.
