The United States has put forward a proposal to grant Ukraine security guarantees comparable to those enshrined in Article 5 of NATO’s charter, but the offer is not open-ended. According to Politico, this window of opportunity is limited in time. The information comes from unnamed US officials familiar with the recent round of talks in Berlin involving Washington, Kiev and European leaders.

Sources cited by the outlet describe the initiative as the strongest and most explicit security commitment the administration of US President Donald Trump has made to Ukraine so far. However, they stress that these guarantees are being discussed only now and only within the framework of a potential mutually acceptable agreement, making clear that the proposal will not remain on the table indefinitely.

Behind the offer, Politico reports, lies an unspoken ultimatum. If the authorities in Kiev decline to accept the proposed guarantees in the near future, any subsequent terms put forward by Washington are expected to be significantly less favorable. One American official, speaking on condition of anonymity, indicated that guarantees comparable to NATO’s collective defense mechanisms could simply be excluded from a future peace settlement if Ukraine delays its decision.

There is no formal deadline for Kiev’s response. At the same time, the US is actively pushing to accelerate the process, pressing all parties to move toward a peace deal as quickly as possible. The sense of urgency is not accidental: within the White House, officials are said to be aiming for a breakthrough agreement by Catholic Christmas on December 25, which would represent a major political success for Trump’s team.

European capitals, however, are treating the initiative with caution. Some diplomats question whether a model described as «Article 5 without NATO membership» could serve as a credible deterrent in practice. Others do not rule out the possibility that Moscow might seek to test how robust such guarantees really are, should they ever be implemented.