Overview

• After White House talks, NATO’s Mark Rutte said allies are discussing “Article 5-type” guarantees for Ukraine rather than membership, and he added that boots on the ground were not discussed.
• Trump said he phoned Vladimir Putin to start arranging a Zelensky–Putin meeting before a potential trilateral that would include the U.S. president.
• The shape of any pledge remains undefined, with Moscow rejecting foreign troops in Ukraine and several European governments reluctant to deploy forces.
• Policy proposals under review emphasize deterrence without U.S. ground troops, such as weapons transfers via NATO, intelligence and logistics support, Black Sea patrols, and limited European rearguard roles.
• Asia Times reported that Zelensky has apparently accepted the offer in principle and may consider territorial swaps, while any U.S. treaty obligation would require a two‑thirds Senate vote.