U.S. envoy says Russia made Ukraine concessions, Article 5-style guarantees under discussion

Russia offered concessions on all five occupied Ukrainian regions during the Trump–Putin summit in Alaska, and the U.S. may provide direct security guarantees to Ukraine, a senior American envoy has said.

Steve Witkoff, the U.S. Special Presidential Envoy for Peace Missions, said on Sunday that Russia showed “some moderation” on its long-held claims to Crimea, Donetsk, Kherson, Luhansk and Zaporizhzhia, signalling potential flexibility in future peace talks.

“There are five regions here. It’s always, in our view, been the crux of the deal,” Witkoff told CNN. “The Russians made some concessions at the table with regard to all five of those regions. It was significant — that doesn't mean it's enough.”

He added that details, particularly over Donetsk, would be central to discussions when Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy meets U.S. President Donald Trump at The White House on Monday.

The Alaska summit between Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin lasted three hours behind closed doors. Putin later said an “understanding” had been reached, while Trump described the remaining issues as “not that much.”

Witkoff also confirmed that the U.S. is weighing a security guarantee for Ukraine similar in function to NATO’s Article 5 commitment — but offered independently of the alliance.

“The United States is potentially prepared to be able to give Article Five security guarantees, but not from NATO — directly from the United States and other European countries,” he told Fox News.

He clarified that such a guarantee would not trigger a collective NATO response but would involve bilateral and multilateral commitments backed by U.S. legislation and potentially binding language to deter future Russian aggression.

“There’s an important discussion to be had about what the Ukrainians feel they need,” Witkoff said, suggesting specifics — including possible troop deployments — would be addressed during Monday’s talks.

Zelenskyy is expected to press for stronger security guarantees and long-term support, while maintaining Ukraine’s refusal to cede sovereignty over occupied territories.

European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, German Chancellor Friedrich Merz, French President Emmanuel Macron, and other top EU leaders are also set to join the Washington talks.

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