NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte stated on Monday that Ukraine’s accession to NATO was not under discussion, but security guarantees similar to Article 5 of the alliance’s founding treaty were being considered. Speaking in Washington after meetings between U.S. President Donald Trump, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, and European leaders, Rutte emphasized that while NATO maintains Ukraine is on an “irreversible path” to eventual membership, the priority now is developing guarantees that would strengthen Ukraine’s security amid ongoing war with Russia.

Rutte explained that the discussions centered on the possibility of offering Ukraine collective defense-style guarantees short of full NATO membership. Article 5 enshrines the principle that an attack on one NATO member is an attack on all. While Kyiv’s constitution lists NATO membership as a strategic goal, several allies, including the United States, remain opposed to immediate accession. Rutte said that what form the guarantees would take “will now be more specifically discussed,” noting that no commitment to placing NATO troops on Ukrainian soil was made.

The remarks followed Trump’s meetings at the White House with Zelensky, NATO leaders, and European officials, days after Trump also held talks with Russian President Vladimir Putin in Alaska. Trump described the discussions as “very good,” adding that he spoke with Putin afterward to begin arranging a direct meeting between Putin and Zelensky, potentially alongside a trilateral session with Trump. The development comes as Ukraine presses for stronger Western commitments to deter further Russian aggression while navigating stalled membership talks.