U.S. Envoy Says Putin Open to ‘Article 5-Like’ Protection for Ukraine in Potential Peace Deal

Washington is weighing what could be the most significant concession from Moscow since the war in Ukraine began.

U.S. special envoy Steve Witkoff said Sunday that Russian President Vladimir Putin has agreed to let the United States and European partners extend “Article 5-like protection” to Ukraine as part of a possible security guarantee aimed at ending the conflict.

“We were able to win the following concession: that the United States could offer Article Five-like protection, which is one of the real reasons why Ukraine wants to be in NATO,” Witkoff said in an interview on CNN. “It was the first time we had ever heard the Russians agree to that.”

NATO’s Article 5 obligates all members of the alliance to treat an attack on one as an attack on all, compelling collective defense measures. For Ukraine, which has long sought NATO membership as a shield against Moscow, the promise of such protection — even outside formal membership — would mark a historic shift.

European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen welcomed the U.S. announcement, saying the European Union “is ready to do its share.” Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy also hailed the development as “a historic decision,” stressing that any guarantee must be practical, offering protection “on land, in the air, and at sea,” and must involve Europe.

The envoy’s remarks come just after President Donald Trump held talks with Putin in Alaska, meetings that the White House described as “productive” despite the absence of a ceasefire agreement. Trump had repeatedly called for a swift and lasting truce, but the summit ended without such a breakthrough, raising concerns in Kyiv and European capitals that the U.S. leader might soften Washington’s stance.

In the days since, Trump has insisted that “the best way” to end the conflict is through a comprehensive peace deal. Witkoff said the Alaska talks covered “almost all the other issues necessary for a peace deal,” though he declined to detail them, adding only that “we began to see some moderation in the way they’re thinking about getting to a final peace deal.”

Still, U.S. officials caution that a resolution remains distant. Secretary of State Marco Rubio said Sunday that while progress was made, “we’re still a long ways off” from a peace agreement. He warned Russia would face “additional consequences” if talks collapse, but argued against further sanctions for now.

“The minute you levy additional sanctions, strong additional sanctions, the talking stops,” Rubio said on ABC News.

However, the proposal stirs curiosity. If Putin truly accepted Article 5-style security conditions for Ukraine, it would contradict one of Moscow’s main justifications for its invasion: blocking Kyiv’s NATO aspirations. The Kremlin has repeatedly demanded that Ukraine abandon those ambitions and recognize Russia’s annexations of Crimea and large parts of eastern Ukraine.

Reports following Friday’s summit suggested Trump floated a deal in which Kyiv would surrender the Donbas region. Zelenskyy, however, has been adamant that Ukraine will never cede sovereign territory, saying doing so would breach the Constitution and embolden Russia to strike again.

“Everyone agrees that borders must not be changed by force,” he wrote on X.

With Trump scheduled to meet Zelenskyy and European leaders on Monday, discussions are expected to focus on what security guarantees should look like and how Ukraine could be rebuilt after nearly four years of devastating war.

“There has to be talk about what the territories are going to look like and what the border lines are going to look like at the end of this conflict,” Rubio said. “There has to be talk about how Ukraine is rebuilt, and how do you rebuild a country that’s been attacked as often as it has.”

For Kyiv, that rebuilding begins with assurances that the nightmare of invasion will not be repeated — and for now, Putin’s unexpected concession may be the closest it has come to that guarantee.