Even though many aspects of Friday’s meeting are still unknown, Steve Witkoff, Trump’s special envoy, said that Donald Trump and Vladimir Putin agreed at their summit in Alaska last week that the United States would be prepared to extend security guarantees to Ukraine.
In reference to the NATO clause that specifies that an attack on one ally is deemed an attack on all members, Witkoff stated on CNN’s State of the Union that the United specifies and other countries could effectively deliver Article 5-like language to Ukraine.
In their brief press conference after the meeting, Witkoff and Secretary of State Marco Rubio spread out across Sunday morning US television talk shows to provide contradictory information about the Alaska summit.
What security guarantees are being negotiated with Putin is still unknown, and Rubio provided less assurance on the subject than Witkoff.
On Fox News Sunday Morning Futures, Rubio mentioned Monday’s White House meeting with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and European leaders, saying, “That will be part of the conversation tomorrow, at the end of the day.” It would be a significant compromise. The president’s promise of a U.S. commitment to security assurance would be a huge step.
He went on to say that he will decide that for himself.
Witkoff, who was present at the leaders’ Friday meeting at a military installation in Alaska, claimed that their agreement fell short of enabling Ukraine to fulfill its long-standing ambition of joining NATO.
According to Witkoff, Putin claims that NATO accession is the warning sign.
Although Zelenskyy pointed out that there are currently no specifics on how that would operate, he stated that if the United States agreed to collaborate with Europe on security guarantees, it would be a huge move.
As he stated in a post on X on Sunday, “We need security to work in practice, like Article 5 of NATO.”
On NBC’s Meet the Press, Democratic Senator Chris Murphy stated that if such a guarantee is included in the final agreement, it will be essential since any pledge made by Vladimir Putin to refrain from invading Ukraine is worthless.
“Any agreement by Trump to allow Russia to maintain a hold on Ukrainian territory would be a stunning development that would give another sense that Putin is just in charge of these negotiations,” the senator from Connecticut continued.
Putin demanded at the summit that Ukraine cede land that Russia had taken during the three-year conflict. Witkoff continued, “There needs to be a discussion of Donetsk with Zelenskyy, suggesting there is room for negotiation,” after claiming that Putin had made some concessions with reference to all five of those regions.
In a post on X, Zelenskyy stated that Ukraine’s constitution forbids it from trading or giving up land, and that the matter should only be discussed at meetings that involve Ukraine, Russia, and the United States. Zelenskyy was not invited to the Alaska summit by Trump.
As Ukraine’s leader faces mounting pressure from the United States to accept a speedy peace agreement with Russia that requires giving up land, European leaders will join Zelenskyy at the White House meeting with Trump as a show of support.
Participation has been confirmed by French President Emmanuel Macron, German Chancellor Friedrich Merz, Finnish President Alexander Stubb, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer, and NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte. According to an official, Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni will also participate in the negotiations.
According to Macron, any deal must preserve Ukraine’s military might and incorporate European and perhaps American assistance, including logistics and training.
Macron told reporters at the presidential summer residence in the south of France that some states are prepared to do so and that allied forces might even be positioned in non-hot zones within Ukraine. In order to find out when the United States is prepared to join these forces, we will submit that information.
In a post on Truth Social on Sunday, Trump emphasized that he had made significant progress on Russia.
Trump said he will concentrate on a final deal after the summit with Putin on Friday, even if he had entered the meeting hoping for a ceasefire.
According to Witkoff, the change was made because Putin and Trump had made so much progress that a ceasefire period was unnecessary while the specifics were being worked out.
Witkoff stated on CNN that they were unable to conclude any discussions on land swaps because Zelenskyy had to be directly involved. “The premise of a ceasefire is that you would be discussing all of these issues that we already resolved in Alaska,” he added.
While claiming that more penalties would be unlikely to persuade Putin to accept a deal, Rubio also contradicted Witkoff on Meet the Press, stating that the U.S. hasn’t ruled out a truce in Ukraine as part of the goal of brokering a peace agreement between Russia and Ukraine.
Rubio added that the United States is still committed to negotiating a solution that acknowledges Ukraine’s sovereignty and specifies the layout of the country’s borders.
Rubio stated on CBS’s Face the Nation that they have the same right as every other sovereign nation in the globe to form security alliances with other nations in order to thwart future invasions and threats to their national security. It’s not a ridiculous request.
According to Rubio, no US sanctions have been loosened against Russia, and if negotiations fail, the US may ultimately decide to impose harsher sanctions.
The president still has those choices, he added. All conversations end the moment he takes those actions.
According to Rubio, talking to Russia is essential to putting a stop to the conflict since some people may find it repulsive.
Rubio responded, “No, it’s not off the table,” when asked if a ceasefire was no longer an option. He also said, “Let’s be honest, this is not our war.”
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Wendy Benjaminson and Eric Martin/Bloomberg News
