NATO could extend Article 5 protection to Ukraine without membership, Italian PM says

Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni suggested on March 6 that NATO could extend Article 5 protections to Ukraine without granting Kyiv membership in the alliance.

The collective defense principle enshrined in NATO's Article 5 commits member nations to come to the defense of any other member state in the event of an attack.

"We need to think about more durable solutions" than just sending European peacekeepers to Ukraine, Meloni said on the sidelines of the EU leaders' meeting in Brussels. "It’s a different thing than entering NATO, but it implies extending the coverage that NATO countries have also to Ukraine," she added.

European countries, led mainly by the U.K. and France, are developing a coalition of the willing to monitor a potential ceasefire in Ukraine. Various countries outside Europe, including Canada and Australia, have voiced their openness to partake in such a mission.

NATO allies reaffirmed Ukraine's "irreversible" path toward NATO membership in July 2024, although member states have yet to provide Ukraine with a formal invitiation, despite numerous calls to do so.

Meloni's comments come as the clearest indication of her position on Ukraine's potential security guarantees. The Italian prime minister, who has served as a potential conduit between European allies and the Trump administration, will not likely find support for the proposal in the United States.

The U.S. has thus far welcomed the idea of European peacekeeping troops monitoring a potential ceasefire in Ukraine but has fallen short of offering concrete security guarantees.

Meloni's comments in Brussels comes as European leaders have failed to say how Europe would provide lasting security guarantees without U.S. backing, amid steps taken by the U.S. to distance itself from Ukraine.

When asked how Europe might provide security guarantees to Ukraine without a U.S. backstop, both European Council President Antonio Costa and European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen dodged specifics and pivoted to praising the Ukrainian military.

"The best security guarantee are the Ukrainians themselves," Costa said, highlighting the fact that Ukraine has been fighting Russia's full-scale invasion for over three years.

‘Best security guarantee is the Ukrainian army’ — EU leaders dodge specifics on long-term peace plan

“The best security guarantee are the Ukrainians themselves,” European Council President Antonio Costa said at the end of a special EU summit in Brussels.

The Kyiv IndependentAbbey Fenbert