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
