Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni has proposed a postwar security guarantee that would require Ukraine's allies to decide within 24 hours of a renewed Russian attack whether or not to commit troops, Bloomberg reported on Aug. 20, citing sources familiar with the discussions.
European leaders and other Ukrainian allies have been accelerating talks on security guarantees for Kyiv in the wake of U.S. President Donald Trump's Alaska Summit with Russian President Vladimir Putin. NATO military leaders met virtually on Aug. 20 to discuss security support.
Meloni is backing a plan that is similar to NATO's Article 5 collective defense clause, sources told Bloomberg. The proposal does not include Ukraine's membership in NATO.
The Alliance's collective defense principle enshrined in Article 5 commits member nations to provide military support to any other member state in the event of an attack. Meloni first brought up the idea of extending Article 5 protections to Kyiv — without a NATO invitation — in March 2025.
Meloni was also one of eight European leaders that joined Zelensky at the White House on Aug. 18 to meet with Trump and discuss security guarantees for postwar Ukraine.
Meloni's proposal is now among those being weighed by European leaders as President Vladimir Zelensky prepares for direct negotiations with Putin. The plan would require countries that have signed security agreements with Ukraine to deliberate and respond quickly in the event of another Russian attack following a peace agreement.
Response options would include defense support, economic aid, and sanctions against Russia, people familiar with the discussions said. It is not clear whether the plan would involve individual European countries sending troops to Ukraine.
Bloomberg previously reported that about 10 European countries are willing to commit troops to Ukraine as part of a peacekeeping force that would deter Russia from launching a renewed attack in violation of a peace deal.
The Kremlin has dismissed these security proposals, with Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov saying on Aug. 20 that Russia should be one of the countries that provides Ukraine security guarantees.
"(S)eriously discussing security issues without Russia is a road to nowhere," he said.
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