Russian President Vladimir Putin agreed at his summit with his US counterpart Donald Trump that the United States and its European allies could extend NATO-style security guarantees to Ukraine as part of a future peace settlement, Trump’s special envoy Steve Witkoff said on Sunday.
Witkoff, who took part in the Trump-Putin meeting in Alaska, called the development “game-changing,” telling CNN’s State of the Union: “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,”
The understanding, if carried forward, would mark a major shift in Moscow’s stance and provide a possible alternative to Kyiv’s long-sought NATO accession, which Putin has firmly opposed.
Secretary of State Marco Rubio, who was also present at the Trump-Putin talks, stressed that details still need to be negotiated. “How it’s structured, what we call it, and what enforceable guarantees are included—that’s what we’ll be working on this week with our partners,” he said.
Witkoff also said Russia agreed in principle to legislate against further territorial expansion in Ukraine or elsewhere in Europe, pledging not to violate sovereign borders after any peace deal is struck.
Trump celebrated the progress in a social media post, writing: “BIG PROGRESS ON RUSSIA. STAY TUNED!”
Rubio cautioned that neither side should expect to achieve all of its goals. “If one side gets everything they want, that’s not a peace deal—it’s called surrender. And I don’t think this is a war that’s going to end anytime soon on the basis of surrender,” he told CNN.
In a separate interview with ABC, Rubio warned that if negotiations fail, existing U.S. sanctions on Russia would remain in place and additional measures could be imposed.
He also addressed tensions surrounding Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy’s dealings with Trump. When Zelenskyy visited the White House in February, the talks ended in a heated shouting match. But Rubio rejected the suggestion that European leaders are travelling to Washington this week simply to shield Zelenskyy.
“They’re not coming here tomorrow to keep Zelenskyy from being bullied,” Rubio told CBS. “They’re coming here tomorrow because we’ve been working with the Europeans. We invited them to come.”
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With inputs from agencies