Special US envoy Steve Witkoff announced a significant development in the Ukraine peace talks, stating that Russian leader Vladimir Putin agreed to allow the US and European allies to offer Ukraine a security protections resembling NATO’s collective defense mandate as part of an eventual deal to end the war.
Speaking with newsmen on “State of the Union” program, Witkoff revealed that Putin accepted the idea of the US and other European nations providing Article 5-like language to cover a security guarantee for Ukraine.
According to Witkoff, this concession marks a crucial milestone in the peace negotiations.
“We were able to win the following concession: That the United States could offer Article 5-like protection, which is one of the real reasons why Ukraine wants to be in NATO,” he said.
Witkoff emphasized that this agreement bypasses Ukraine’s NATO membership issue, which Russia considers a red flag.
“We sort of were able to bypass that and get an agreement that the United States could offer Article 5 protection, which was the first time we had ever heard the Russians agree to that,” he added.
While the agreement is seen as a positive step forward, details remain unclear. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy thanked the US for recent signals supporting security guarantees for Ukraine but noted that specifics are still uncertain.
“It is important that America agrees to work with Europe to provide security guarantees for Ukraine,” this he said. “But there are no details how it will work, and what America’s role will be, Europe’s role will be and what the EU can do.”
European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen expressed support for the idea, stating that “we welcome President Trump’s willingness to contribute to Article 5-like security guarantees for Ukraine. And the ‘Coalition of the willing’ — including the European Union — is ready to do its share.”
Steve Witkoff also mentioned that Russia said it would make a legislative commitment not to go after any additional territory in Ukraine.
This development is seen as a crucial aspect of the potential peace deal.
However, Secretary of State Marco Rubio cautioned that getting to a peace agreement would not be easy and would require significant effort.
“We’re not at the precipice of a peace agreement,” he said. “I think everybody agreed that we had made progress. Maybe not enough for a peace deal, but we are on the path for the first time.”
The US envoy defended Trump’s decision to abandon his push for an immediate ceasefire, saying the president had pivoted toward a peace deal due to significant progress made in negotiations.
“We covered almost all the other issues necessary for a peace deal,” Witkoff said, without elaborating.