Politics USA: Russia accepts security guarantees for Ukraine
According to US special envoy Steve Witkoff, Russia has agreed to the US and European allies giving Ukraine NATO-like security guarantees. "We were able to win the following concession: That the United States can provide Article 5-like protection, which is one of the real reasons why Ukraine wants to join Nato," Witkoff told CNN.
17.08.2025, 17:27
17.08.2025, 17:59
SDA
For Kremlin leader Vladimir Putin, Ukraine's accession to Nato was not open to discussion. "We were able to get around this, so to speak, and reach an agreement that the United States could offer protection similar to that in Article 5." The Russians had agreed to such a scenario for the first time.
Article 5 of the NATO treaty stipulates that the alliance partners can count on the support of the allies in the event of an attack and that an attack on one member is considered an attack on all.
However, the scenario now being discussed would not see NATO as having a duty of defense - instead, the United States and European countries would ensure the security of Ukraine, Witkoff told US broadcaster Fox News.
Details of the proposal unclear
Witkoff did not go into any further detail. Ukraine and its European allies had already been informed of the proposal, Witkoff told CNN.
According to Witkoff, Russia has also expressed its intention to commit itself in a peace agreement not to occupy any further territories in Ukraine. Nor should any European borders be crossed, he said on Fox News. Witkoff emphasized on CNN that Russia was moving for the first time in the negotiations and was prepared to make concessions. "Now we have to build on this and reach an agreement for the Ukrainians that allows them self-determination and the protection of their sovereign borders."
Possible security guarantees for Ukraine were already discussed during the negotiations between Kiev and Moscow in Istanbul in 2022. From what is known, Russia itself wanted to be one of the guarantor powers. It also demanded a right of veto against the intervention of other guarantor powers in the event of a conflict. This was not acceptable either to Ukraine or to potential Western guarantor powers. It is one of the reasons why the negotiations were abandoned.
