The United States has floated a proposal for joint defence guarantees for Ukraine, modelled on NATO’s collective security principle but operating outside the alliance framework, diplomatic sources disclosed on Saturday.
The initiative reportedly emerged during a conference call involving 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 a source familiar with the exchanges, Washington suggested “a non-NATO Article 5-style commitment” as part of a broader security framework for Ukraine — an arrangement Trump claimed had been raised in discussions with Putin.
NATO’s Article 5 underpins the alliance’s principle of collective defence, declaring that an attack on one member constitutes an attack on all.
The proposal was first broached in a private conversation between Trump and Zelensky as the US president was returning from Alaska, before being repeated in the wider call with European leaders, including NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte.
A second source confirmed that NATO-style guarantees were mentioned but cast doubt on their feasibility. “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,” the source said.
Ukraine’s long-standing bid to join NATO has been a central irritant for Moscow throughout the war, while several Western governments remain cautious about endorsing 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. Diplomatic sources said discussions are likely to focus on potential formats for a Trump-Putin-Zelensky meeting, the involvement of European partners in peace efforts, and possible territorial and security arrangements.
