Ukraine has offered to drop its goal of joining NATO as it holds talks with United States officials in Berlin to negotiate an end to Russia’s invasion.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has said the country is willing to instead seek security guarantees similar to NATO. The U.S. would submit a legally binding security guarantee for a vote in Congress, Axios reported.
“Bilateral security guarantees between Ukraine and the U.S., Article 5-like guarantees for us from the US, and security guarantees from European colleagues, as well as other countries -- Canada, Japan -- are an opportunity to prevent another Russian invasion,” Zelenskyy wrote ahead of the talks.
According to NATO’s Article 5, an armed attack against a NATO member obliges all other members to assist it.
Peace talks in Berlin lasted over five hours on Sunday, and included Zelenskyy, U.S. special envoy Steve Witkoff, and U.S. President Donald Trump’s son-in-law Jared Kushner.
“Representatives held in-depth discussions regarding the 20-point plan for peace, economic agendas, and more. A lot of progress was made, and they will meet again tomorrow morning,” wrote Witkoff.
Zelenskyy will also meet with leaders from Germany, France, and the United Kingdom on Monday. Ukraine has not been negotiating directly with Russia in recent weeks.
The U.S.’ 20-point proposal encourages Ukraine to abandon its NATO aspirations and cede territory near its eastern border, including land it controls, to Russia. Ukraine has said it will not cede territory to Russia.
Ukraine’s constitution includes an amendment requiring governments to pursue joining NATO, which was added in 2019. Russia has opposed this, and the U.S. and some European NATO members have not supported it.
Related content
