The United States has put forward a proposal for joint
defense guarantees for Ukraine, similar to NATO’s collective security
principle, but operating outside the alliance, a diplomatic source told
reporters on Saturday.
The idea surfaced during a conference call between US
President Donald Trump, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, and several
European leaders.
The call followed Trump’s summit with Russian President
Vladimir Putin in Alaska on Friday.
According to the source, Washington suggested “a non-NATO
Article 5-style commitment” as part of a broader security framework for
Ukraine, one that Trump claimed had been discussed with Putin.
NATO’s Article 5 stipulates that an attack on one member is
considered an attack on all, forming the cornerstone of the alliance’s
collective defense.
The proposal was raised first in a one-on-one conversation
between Trump and Zelensky while the US president was returning from Alaska,
and later repeated during the joint call with European leaders, including NATO
Secretary General Mark Rutte.
A second source familiar with the discussions confirmed that
NATO-like guarantees were mentioned but expressed skepticism:
“Nobody is clear how such a system would function, or why
Putin, who rejects NATO outright, would accept any mechanism that effectively safeguards
Ukraine’s sovereignty.”
Ukraine’s push to join NATO has been one of Moscow’s central
objections in its ongoing war, and some Western governments remain reluctant to
back Kyiv’s full membership. Trump himself has consistently ruled out Ukraine’s
accession to the alliance.
Zelensky is expected in Washington on Monday for direct
talks with Trump. According to the diplomatic source, the agenda will likely
include potential formats for a Trump-Putin-Zelensky meeting, the role of
European partners in future peace efforts, and possible territorial and
security arrangements
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