The USA and Ukraine discuss new security guarantees: what both sides agree on.

According to ТСН: The best way to ensure Ukraine's security remains full NATO membership, as dictator Putin fears the Alliance's deterrent influence. However, this issue is not currently a priority, so allies are working on an alternative mechanism, as close as possible to Article 5 of the Washington Treaty.

This was stated by American diplomat and former U.S. Department of State special representative for Ukraine Kurt Volker during a broadcast on 'Espreso'.

Volker noted that while membership in the Alliance is the ideal option, it is important not to 'burn bridges' and preserve this possibility for the future. At this stage, the focus is on creating a comparable security guarantees model.

The diplomat explained the essence of the initiative: it means that any new act of aggression against Ukraine will receive a collective military response from all signatories of the agreement, including the United States. This essentially duplicates the mechanism of Article 5 of NATO, but without formal entry into the block.

Volker emphasized the seriousness of the U.S. intentions, noting that all those influencing decision-making are involved in the discussion.

Duration of the agreement

However, there has been a discussion among the parties about the duration of the agreement:

• U.S. President Donald Trump proposed guarantees for 15 years.

• Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky insists on a long-term perspective — 50 years.

“The final compromise will likely be somewhere in the middle. However, even in such a format, it concerns serious security guarantees that will be subject to ratification by the U.S. Senate,” Volker noted.

Volker is convinced that if the U.S. approves this model and ratifies it in the Senate, European allies will not remain on the sidelines. This opens the way for a real physical presence of partner forces on Ukrainian territory.

“This will create conditions for NATO’s European allies to eventually deploy their forces in Ukraine,” the diplomat emphasized.

At the same time, he added an important clarification: the implementation of this scenario is only possible after achieving a cease-fire regime. Then, this deterrent mechanism will become a 'realistic element' of the new security architecture in Europe.

Recall that Ukraine is working on creating a multilateral security guarantees system that provides a clear distribution of roles among the Armed Forces of Ukraine, European allies, and the USA. A key element remains the Ukrainian army, which will be complemented by multinational forces under European leadership, while the United States will provide strategic support.