President Donald Trump’s Middle East envoy, Steve Witkoff, claimed on Sunday that Russian President Vladimir Putin is willing to allow a NATO-esque security agreement between the United States, European nations and Ukraine, a concession that he described as a “breakthrough” in peace talks.
“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 told CNN’s Jake Tapper, adding that it was the “first time we had ever heard the Russians agree to that.”
Article 5 of the North Atlantic Treaty states that if one member is attacked, the entire alliance will come to that nation’s defense.