Zelensky seeks Congress-backed US security guarantees modelled on NATO Article 5

President Volodymyr Zelensky said Ukraine is in active negotiations with Washington over security guarantees modelled on NATO's Article 5, insisting any American commitment must carry a vote in the US Congress to be credible.

Speaking at a joint press conference with Finnish Prime Minister Petteri Orpo on Thursday, Zelensky outlined a three-part framework: direct bilateral US guarantees, NATO membership for Ukraine, and a European-led Coalition of the Willing backed by Washington. He said the three mechanisms should reinforce one another rather than serve as alternatives.

Zelensky said Ukraine is discussing "detailed security guarantees from the United States, backed by a vote in the US Congress," rather than the Budapest Memorandum or mere paper commitments, expressing respect for those who signed the earlier accord.

He pointed to Ukraine's experience under the 1994 Budapest Memorandum, under which Kyiv surrendered Soviet-era nuclear weapons in exchange for security assurances from Russia, the United States and Britain. Russia subsequently occupied Crimea in 2014 and launched a full-scale invasion in February 2022.

"We gave up everything that guaranteed Ukraine's security," Zelensky said, arguing that Ukraine cannot accept any arrangement lacking clear obligations and credible deterrence mechanisms.

Zelensky confirmed that negotiations with Washington remain ongoing and that no final agreement has been announced. He stressed that all three security arrangements would depend on Ukraine maintaining a properly equipped military as their foundation.