Putin signals openness to NATO-style security for Ukraine during Trump talks: U.S. official
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Trump envoy Steve Witkoff, who took part in the talks Friday at a military base in Alaska, said it 'was the first time we had ever heard the Russians agree to that' and called it 'game-changing.'
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'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,' Witkoff told CNN's 'State of the Union.'
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Witkoff offered few details on how such an arrangement would work. But it appeared to be a major shift for Putin and could serve as a workaround to his deep-seated objection to Ukraine's potential NATO membership, a step that Kyiv has long sought.
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It was expected to be a key topic Monday as Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and major European leaders meet with Trump at the White House to discuss ending the 3 1/2-year conflict.
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( @realDonaldTrump - Truth Social Post )
( Donald J. Trump - Aug 16, 2025, 4:46 AM ET )
A great and very successful day in Alaska! The meeting with President Vladimir Putin of Russia went very well, as did a late night phone call with President Zelenskyy of Ukraine, and various… pic.twitter.com/SUMNTNlUlt
— Fan Donald J. Trump 🇺🇸 TRUTH POSTS (@TruthTrumpPosts) August 16, 2025
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Article 5, at the heart of the 32-member trans-Atlantic military alliance, says an armed attack against one or more member nations shall be considered an attack against them all.
What needed to be hammered out at this week's talks were the contours of any security guarantees, said Secretary of State Marco Rubio, who also participated in the summit. Ukraine and European allies have pushed the U.S. to provide that backstop in any peace agreement to deter future attacks by Moscow.
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'How that's constructed, what we call it, how it's built, what guarantees are built into it that are enforceable, that's what we'll be talking about over the next few days with our partners,' Rubio said on NBC's 'Meet the Press.'
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It was unclear, however, whether Trump had fully committed to such a guarantee. Rubio said it would be 'a huge concession.'
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The comments shed new light on what was discussed in Alaska. Before Sunday, U.S. officials had offered few details even as both Trump and Putin said their meeting was a success.
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'The Russians agreed on enshrining legislatively language that would prevent them from — or that they would attest to not attempting to take any more land from Ukraine after a peace deal, where they would attest to not violating any European borders,' he said on 'Fox News Sunday.'
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European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, speaking to reporters in Brussels alongside Zelenskyy, applauded the news from the White House at a time when a European coalition is looking to set up a force to police any future peace in Ukraine.
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'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,' she said.
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