“We agreed to robust security guarantees that I would describe as game-changing,” Witkoff said in an interview on CNN’s “State of the Union.”
Witkoff explained that Russia agreed to allow the United States and other European countries to “effectively offer [Ukraine] Article 5-like language to cover a security guarantee,” referring to the provision of NATO that states an attack on one NATO member is seen as an attack on all members.
Russia has long opposed the idea of Ukraine being admitted to NATO, Witkoff noted, adding a key reason Ukraine has sought membership is for that protection.
“Everything is going to be about what the Ukrainians can live with, but assuming they could, 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,” Witkoff stated.
“We sort of were able to bypass that and get an agreement that the United States could offer Article 5 protection, which was the first time we had ever heard the Russians agree to that,” he continued.
Witkoff said other agreements included “legislative enshrinement within the Russian Federation not to go after any other territory when the peace deal is codified,” as well as “legislative enshrinement in the Russian Federation not to go after any other European countries and violate their sovereignty.”
Witkoff added any deal is subject to Ukrainian agreement and that land exchange is the “fundamental issue” that could not be discussed in detail without Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky.
He stated Trump, Zelensky and other European leaders plan to discuss the issues further at a White House meeting on Monday.
