Zelenskyy seeks Article 5-like protections without NATO membership

Zelenskyy made the remarks to journalists after talks in Berlin, according to the newspaper. It remains unclear whether Washington would agree to such guarantees and, if so, how the United States and its allies would persuade Moscow to accept them as part of a broader settlement.

Article 5 of NATO’s founding Washington Treaty establishes the principle of collective defense, stating that an attack on one or more alliance members is considered an attack on all. Under the provision, each member commits to assist an attacked ally, including, if necessary, through the use of armed force, to restore and maintain security.

Reuters previously reported that Zelenskyy raised the possibility of abandoning Ukraine’s bid for NATO membership during talks with a U.S. delegation in Berlin in exchange for Western security guarantees.

A meeting between Ukrainian and U.S. delegations took place in Berlin, with Zelenskyy and German Chancellor Friedrich Merz in attendance, Dec. 14.

The U.S. delegation included President Donald Trump’s special envoy, Steve Witkoff, as well as Trump’s son-in-law, Jared Kushner.

Witkoff said “significant progress” was made during the five-hour talks in Berlin. Negotiations continued the following day, Dec. 15.

Axios reported earlier that the Trump administration is prepared to offer Ukraine legally binding security guarantees modeled on NATO’s Article 5, Dec. 13.