U.S. special envoy Steve Witkoff said Russian President Vladimir Putin agreed during his 15 Aug summit with President Donald Trump in Alaska that the United States and its European allies could extend NATO-style security guarantees to Ukraine. Witkoff described the commitment as “robust” and comparable to Article 5, marking what he called the first time Moscow has accepted such a concept. The concession, if formalised, would allow Washington and European capitals to pledge collective defence of Ukraine without granting Kyiv full NATO membership—an issue that has long been at the centre of the war. Witkoff added that Moscow indicated it would codify in Russian law a pledge not to seize additional Ukrainian or European territory under a future peace accord. At the White House on 18 Aug, Trump told visiting Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy that the United States would help Europe organise the prospective security framework, but stressed that European nations would “take a lot of the burden.” Leaders of Britain, France, Germany, Italy, Finland, the European Commission and NATO joined the talks, signalling broad backing for the initiative. Details of how the guarantees would be enforced, their duration and the level of any U.S. military commitment remain under negotiation. Trump has said a comprehensive peace agreement—rather than a temporary cease-fire—is the goal, while Secretary of State Marco Rubio cautioned that significant gaps persist before a final deal can be reached.