Overview

• President Trump ruled out the return of Crimea and said Ukraine would not join NATO, framing a quick peace deal as Kyiv’s choice
• US Special Envoy Steve Witkoff said the United States could offer Ukraine an “Article-5-like” security guarantee and that Russia had signaled openness to the idea
• A European delegation including Merz, von der Leyen, Macron, Starmer and Rutte joined Zelenskyy to prevent any concessions being negotiated over Ukraine’s head
• Zelenskyy emphasized that Ukraine’s constitution bars unilateral territorial cessions and insisted any guarantees be backed by concrete enforcement mechanisms
• European officials and analysts questioned the reliability of security assurances outside NATO and warned that Ukraine risks being treated as a bargaining object