Washington Offers Ukraine Article 5-Like Guarantee in Wider European Security Deal

Key Facts

The Washington Post reported that President Donald Trump’s administration believes ending the war in Ukraine requires a broader agreement with Russia on future European security arrangements, alongside any settlement to the war. A U.S. official said Washington is prepared to offer Ukraine a security guarantee similar to Article 5 of the North Atlantic Treaty, which treats an attack on one member as an attack on all members. The proposal puts guarantees for Kyiv at the center of a negotiating track that goes beyond a ceasefire to include the shape of postwar security in Europe. But it comes alongside U.S. readiness to discuss limits on some of Ukraine’s sovereign decisions about its military. Trilateral talks between Russia, Ukraine and the United States began in Abu Dhabi on Tuesday and are set to focus on security guarantees.

The U.S. official said issues under discussion include Ukraine’s ability to make sovereign decisions about its armed forces, amid concerns that either side could use a halt in fighting to rearm and prepare for another war. That puts the demand for a security guarantee up against a debate over the limits of Kyiv’s military options, a balance that touches the core of the proposed deterrence arrangements. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, according to the Associated Press, rejected restrictions on Ukraine’s military or on his country’s arrangements with its Western partners. The report said Kyiv considers those arrangements essential guarantees against another Russian invasion. Separately, Reuters reported that Moscow has not publicly shown a willingness to abandon its demand that Ukraine cede all of the eastern Donbas region, while Zelensky has rejected handing over territory defended by the Ukrainian military.

Reuters quoted a U.S. official as saying negotiators see a possibility that Zelensky and Russian President Vladimir Putin may be willing to reach a territorial settlement, but a Ukrainian official denied that the government was prepared to make concessions. The Ukrainian official said discussion of the territory issue belongs at the leaders’ level and is linked to providing appropriate security guarantees. Washington’s proposal drew objections from European officials, who said any negotiations on European security require the participation of the governments concerned. They also objected to Russia’s involvement in setting European security policy. The dispute highlights differences over who defines the framework for continental security, alongside disagreement over the terms of a settlement in Ukraine.

U.S. officials said representatives from Britain, Germany, France, NATO and the European Union would discuss security guarantees and the long-term security structure between Russia and Europe before U.S. talks with Russian and Ukrainian officials. Those representatives will not join the main talks, but will hold a separate discussion on possible guarantees. In contrast, EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas said, "We already have a European security architecture in place," arguing that the problem is Russia’s continued violation of the treaties on which it is based. The European Commission said it looked forward to seeing the proposed agreement take shape, but noted that much work and readiness from Russia would be required, adding that it had not seen enough movement from Moscow. The Kremlin spokesman said Russia had received no European ideas on guarantees, but acknowledged that at some point it would be impossible to discuss security between Russia and Ukraine without Europe’s participation.

Washington is considering the possibility of lifting sanctions imposed on Russia as part of a deal, while keeping them as a pressure tool and reimposing them if Moscow breaches its commitments, according to a Washington Post report. The report quoted an official as saying, "Perhaps sanctions can be used over time as a way to incentivize Russia." The proposal means sanctions relief could be tied to Russia’s conduct after an agreement is reached, rather than being a step separate from implementing the settlement’s commitments. In a parallel development, U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio said progress had been made in envisioning the shape of European security architecture after the war ends. Trump has said the deal under discussion could extend beyond Ukraine and include Europe, without giving details of its content.

The talks come as Reuters reported that the de-escalation Trump announced the previous month to halt attacks on energy facilities quickly collapsed. The agency added that Ukrainian strikes on Russian oil refineries had intensified, while Russia targeted Ukraine’s electricity infrastructure and cities. The Abu Dhabi session, the first trilateral meeting of its kind since February, began and is scheduled to last two days, focusing on security guarantees. A U.S. official said Trump envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner could soon travel to Moscow and Kyiv to meet Putin and Zelensky if the Abu Dhabi talks go well. G7 foreign ministers are also due to discuss Ukraine in Paris on the second day of their meeting, with Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha taking part.