The United States has reportedly proposed joint defense guarantees for Ukraine, modeled after NATO’s collective security principle but operating outside the alliance, a diplomatic source revealed on Saturday.
The idea came up during a conference call between US President Donald Trump, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, and several European leaders, following 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, with Trump claiming it had already been discussed with Putin. NATO’s Article 5 is the foundation of the alliance’s collective defense, declaring that an attack on one member is an attack on all.
The proposal was first raised in a private conversation between Trump and Zelensky while the US president was returning from Alaska, and later repeated in the joint call with European leaders, including NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte.
A second source confirmed that NATO-like guarantees were mentioned but expressed doubts: “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 bid to join NATO has long been one of Moscow’s major objections in the ongoing war, and some Western countries remain hesitant about Kyiv’s full membership. Trump himself has consistently ruled out Ukraine joining the alliance.
Zelensky is scheduled to visit Washington on Monday for direct talks with Trump. The agenda is expected to include possible formats for a Trump-Putin-Zelensky meeting, the role of European partners in future peace efforts, and discussions on territorial and security arrangements.
