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Putin agreed to let US, Europe offer NATO-style security protections for Ukraine, Trump envoy says
Scripps News ^ | August 17, 2025 | AP via Scripps News Group

Posted on 08/17/2025 10:16:18 AM PDT by E. Pluribus Unum

Russia's Vladimir Putin agreed at his summit with President Donald Trump to allow the United States and its European allies to offer Ukraine a security guarantee resembling NATO’s collective defense mandate as part of an eventual deal to end the 3 1/2-year war in Ukraine, special U.S. envoy Steve Witkoff said Sunday.

“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," he told CNN's “State of the Union.” He added that it “was the first time we had ever heard the Russians agree to that” and called them “game-changing.”

Article 5, at the heart of the 32-member military alliance, states that an armed attack against one or more of the members shall be considered an attack against all members.

Witkoff, who had joined Secretary of State Marco Rubio for the talks Friday at a military base in Alaska, offered few details on how such an agreement would work. But it appeared to be a major shift for Putin and could serve as a workaround to his long-standing objection to Ukraine's potential NATO membership.

Outlining some of the details about the private discussions, Witkoff also said Russia had agreed to enact a law that it would not "go after any other European countries and violate their sovereignty. And there was plenty more.”

European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, speaking at a news conference in Brussels with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, applauded the move. "We welcome President Trump’s willingness to contribute to Article 5-like security guarantees for Ukraine and the ‘Coalition of the willing’ -- including the European Union -- is ready to do its share,” she said.

Zelenskyy thanked the United...

(Excerpt) Read more at scrippsnews.com ...


TOPICS: Foreign Affairs
KEYWORDS: proxywar; ukraine; welfarewar
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1 posted on 08/17/2025 10:16:18 AM PDT by E. Pluribus Unum
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To: E. Pluribus Unum

So how is that different from letting Ukraine join NATO outright ? Does the name NATO bother him ?


2 posted on 08/17/2025 10:21:33 AM PDT by libh8er
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To: libh8er
So how is that different from letting Ukraine join NATO outright ? Does the name NATO bother him ?

In case you hadn't heard, words mean things.

3 posted on 08/17/2025 10:24:18 AM PDT by E. Pluribus Unum (Democrats are the Party of racism, anger, hate and violence.)
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To: E. Pluribus Unum

I simply don’t believe this. Russia will not accept Ukraine being admitted into NATO largely because of Article 5. So “Article 5-ish” is okay? Something is being intentionally misrepresented here.


4 posted on 08/17/2025 10:24:48 AM PDT by GrumpyOldGuy
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To: libh8er
Any real peace will require compromises that both sides would otherwise find unacceptable: NATO without calling it NATO is one of them. This allows Putin to claim he "succeeded" in preventing NATO advancement in Ukraine.

The much thornier issue will be the land swaps: Putin is offering the small parts of the Sumy and Kharkov oblasts he occupies in exchange for the remainder of Donetsk. Hard to see the Ukrainians accepting that. A better deal would be all of Donetsk in exchange for the currently occupied parts of Zaporizhia and Kherson oblasts, with water rights for Crimea restored and maybe free-passage of trains to Crimea through Ukrainian territory.

5 posted on 08/17/2025 10:27:59 AM PDT by pierrem15 ("Massacrez-les, car le seigneur connait les siens" )
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To: libh8er

That’s a good question. The answer is actually to Ukraine’s favor.

NATO rules does not allow membership if an applicant country does not have control of all of its territory and there is no conflict for it. So Russia allowing something vague like this provides something to Ukraine it could not have otherwise, since it will always claim territory it has no control over.

In a general sense Russia can pass this law prohibiting attacks westward for the two obvious reasons that they would not want to deal with all those violent Muslim refugees whose population is now growing via birthrate as well as influx.

And of course, the realities of running short of oil and gas after all other sources. They will dominate Europe in an inevitable way, without use of military force.


6 posted on 08/17/2025 10:29:56 AM PDT by Owen
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To: GrumpyOldGuy

NATO has never been a threat to Russia and Putin knows that: until 2022, the Europeans had been basically disarming themselves. Any NATO attack would require unanimity a political impossibility) plus a couple of million men in fully equipped and trained divisions (a physical impossibility).


7 posted on 08/17/2025 10:31:48 AM PDT by pierrem15 ("Massacrez-les, car le seigneur connait les siens" )
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To: E. Pluribus Unum

“Putin agreed to let US, Europe offer NATO-style security protections for Ukraine, Trump envoy says”

The Russians like Witkoff, so I expect them to give Witkoff a friendly phone call to CLARIFY things.


8 posted on 08/17/2025 10:32:41 AM PDT by BobL (If you're over 50 and still eat carbs, expect to become diabetic)
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To: pierrem15

Your #7:... very good points.


9 posted on 08/17/2025 10:34:21 AM PDT by rrrod (6)
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To: BobL

Oh, this is not that extreme.

A NATO-like security guarantee calls forth troops if there is an attack. The tripwire force could be as small as 100 guys.

Certainly not 10s of thousands of troops preparing to invade the Donbas. Just some token number of guys who are there to get killed in an attack and trigger a response.

The real interesting part will be when the EU refuses to accept such a thing because Trump will tell them that yes, the security is guaranteed. A tripwire is triggered for EU forces to immediately confront Russian troops.

The EU will refuse this. They will say, it is US troops that have to respond. Not EU troops.


10 posted on 08/17/2025 10:36:46 AM PDT by Owen
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To: E. Pluribus Unum
The key word in the comment is "could". That is different than will.

There is no chance Trump is going to offer Article 5 protection to Ukraine because there is no scenario where risk getting us involved in a hot war with Russia.

11 posted on 08/17/2025 10:44:45 AM PDT by Kazan
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To: E. Pluribus Unum

And the Euros should bear most of the security responsibility not us.


12 posted on 08/17/2025 10:45:36 AM PDT by aquila48 (Do not let them make you "care" ! Guilting you is how they. control you. )
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To: E. Pluribus Unum

Something to think about.

Putin may be open to this “NATO style” security agreement IF IF IF Trump has said this arrangement we will not put US troops on the ground in the Ukraine.

In other words, Putin will “honor” the agreement as long as Trump in office.

When Trump leaves office, Putin will do whatever he wants and put the future POTUS in a bind.

Since there are NO American troops on the ground, does the new guy or gal put troops on the ground.

Personally, I have no problem with that arrangement.

Peace in the middle of Europe is very temporal and very fragile.


13 posted on 08/17/2025 10:46:21 AM PDT by Biblebelter
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To: E. Pluribus Unum; libh8er

RE: in case you hadn’t heard, words mean things.

I know several couples who have lived together for several years, have children, have joint bank accounts and are in each other’s respective wills, BUT ARE NOT OFFICIALLY MARRIED, not in church or even in a civil wedding.

Similarly, I guess that’s what Ukraine not officially joining NATO but enjoying NATO-style security means…


14 posted on 08/17/2025 10:47:16 AM PDT by SeekAndFind
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To: Owen

I agree this idea will likely collapse once they try to work out details.


15 posted on 08/17/2025 10:52:23 AM PDT by BobL (If you're over 50 and still eat carbs, expect to become diabetic)
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To: E. Pluribus Unum

Friend with benefits?


16 posted on 08/17/2025 11:00:36 AM PDT by Raycpa
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To: GrumpyOldGuy
Something is being intentionally misrepresented here.

100% correct. The fog of the fake MSM

17 posted on 08/17/2025 11:25:18 AM PDT by PGR88
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To: libh8er
So how is that different from letting Ukraine join NATO outright ? Does the name NATO bother him ?

NATO membership was a red line, security guarantees were not. Security guarantees are something Ukraine cannot survive without, as Russia would just be back in 5 or 10 years to take Kharkiv, Kherson and Odesa. Lather, rinse, repeat until Russia shares a border with Poland.

But I suspect there are details that will make security guarantees toothless. Like limiting Ukraine's ability to defend herself. "Disarming" Ukraine has been a stated Russian goal from the beginning. Guarantees or not, if Ukraine doesn't have a robust military force to resist a future invasion, no one is going to rush in to fight for them.

18 posted on 08/17/2025 12:16:04 PM PDT by ETCM (“There is no security, no safety, in the appeasement of evil.” — Ronald Reagan)
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To: E. Pluribus Unum

I’m pretty sure there is an exclusion of moving missiles within a 5 minute flight time to Moscow in this proposal. Defense, sure... Offense, no


19 posted on 08/17/2025 12:19:25 PM PDT by DocRock
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To: ETCM
NATO membership was a red line

What is it about NATO membership that makes it a red line ? Clearly it's not the security guarantees.

20 posted on 08/17/2025 12:19:40 PM PDT by libh8er
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