- U.S. proposes NATO-style defense guarantees for Ukraine outside of the alliance framework.
- The proposal emerged during a joint call involving Trump, Zelensky, and European leaders.
- Questions remain over how Russia would react to a security mechanism resembling NATO’s Article 5.
The United States has proposed a new collective defense arrangement for Ukraine, modeled on NATO’s Article 5 principle but designed to function outside the formal structure of the alliance, a diplomatic source revealed on Saturday.
Eko Hot Blog reports that this concept reportedly came up during a high-level conference call that brought together U.S. President Donald Trump, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, and several European leaders, following Trump’s recent meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin in Alaska.
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According to the source, the U.S. floated the idea of a “NATO-like security guarantee” as part of a broader protective framework for Ukraine, despite the arrangement not being within NATO itself. President Trump was said to have presented this concept as something already discussed with President Putin.
NATO’s Article 5 is widely known as the backbone of the alliance’s defense strategy, asserting that an attack on one member state is considered an attack on all.
This proposed non-NATO collective defense pledge was first raised in a private discussion between Trump and Zelensky, reportedly during the U.S. President’s return flight from Alaska. It was later repeated during the group call that included NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte and key European leaders.
A second diplomatic contact familiar with the conversations confirmed that the idea of extending NATO-style protections to Ukraine had been mentioned. However, the source cast doubt on the practicality of such a plan, questioning how it would work in reality especially given Russia’s longstanding rejection of any Western military alignment with Kyiv.
“There’s no clarity yet on how such an arrangement would function, especially when Russia has repeatedly rejected anything that even hints at NATO protection for Ukraine,” the source remarked.
Ukraine’s ambition to join NATO remains a major point of contention in its ongoing conflict with Moscow. While some Western countries continue to resist fully endorsing Kyiv’s membership, Trump has consistently ruled out Ukraine’s entry into the alliance.
President Zelensky is expected to arrive in Washington on Monday for direct discussions with President Trump. According to diplomatic sources, their meeting is likely to explore possible formats for a trilateral summit involving Trump, Putin, and Zelensky, as well as Europe’s potential role in any future peace process and broader security or territorial guarantees.
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