Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni has proposed an unusual plan to provide Ukraine with security after the war. Instead of making Ukraine a full NATO member, her idea is to give Ukraine the protection of NATO’s Article 5 security guarantee without formal membership.
A Different Approach to Ukraine’s Security
This means that if Ukraine is attacked again, NATO countries, including the U.S. and Europe, would be expected to defend it just as they would for a full member.
This idea is both bold and risky. On one hand, it gives Ukraine the protection it needs from future Russian attacks. On the other, it puts NATO in direct opposition to Russia, a nuclear-armed superpower. This is something Western nations have tried to avoid since Russian President Vladimir Putin sent troops into Georgia in 2008.
The plan is also different from what France and the U.K. have suggested. They proposed sending peacekeeping troops to Ukraine, but that would require huge military resources, including airlift capabilities, troops, and artillery. Their plan also relies on U.S. intelligence and surveillance.
If Russia attacked these peacekeepers, NATO would need to respond, making the situation even more dangerous. In contrast, Meloni’s plan would provide Ukraine with strong security without needing NATO troops on the ground immediately.
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Testing Russia’s True Intentions
One key reason why Meloni’s plan is important is that it challenges Putin’s justification for his invasion. Putin has long argued that NATO’s expansion threatens Russia’s security. Many people, including former U.S. President Donald Trump, have accepted this argument. However, NATO has not expanded toward Russia since 2004. Most new members since then have been in the Balkans, far from Russia. Finland and Sweden only joined after Russia invaded Ukraine.
If Putin truly invaded Ukraine because he feared NATO bases near Russia’s border, then Meloni’s plan should be acceptable to him. Under her proposal, Ukraine would be protected but would not host NATO troops or bases. This setup would be similar to what happened in Poland after 1997. Poland became a NATO member but agreed not to have permanent NATO troops or nuclear weapons on its soil.
However, if Putin rejects Meloni’s idea, it would prove that his real goal is not just security but controlling Ukraine and other neighboring countries. This would confirm what many Eastern European countries have feared for decades—that Russia is trying to rebuild its influence over former Soviet territories, including Ukraine, Moldova, Georgia, and Belarus. If Putin refuses a security arrangement that does not threaten Russia, it would show that his invasion was never about NATO but about forcing Ukraine under Russian control.
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The Stakes for Ukraine and the World
The conflict in Ukraine is about more than just military battles. It is also about Ukraine’s future as an independent nation. Russia wants to force Ukraine into its own alliances, like the Collective Security Treaty Organization (CSTO) and the Eurasian Union, which mimic NATO and the European Union but are controlled by Moscow.
By rejecting Meloni’s plan, Russia would make it clear that its real goal is domination, not security.
At the same time, Ukraine is also facing difficult negotiations with the U.S. over military aid and economic support. The Biden administration provided Ukraine with weapons slowly to avoid escalating the war.
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Now, Trump has made new demands on Ukraine, threatening tough sanctions on Russia but also pushing Kyiv to give the U.S. control over Ukraine’s minerals and infrastructure. According to Bloomberg, Ukraine is now trying to negotiate better terms, fearing that accepting U.S. demands could weaken its postwar recovery.
Russia, meanwhile, continues to make extreme demands. Putin has recently suggested placing all of Ukraine under United Nations control, removing President Volodymyr Zelensky, and dismantling Ukraine’s armed forces. This proposal was immediately rejected, even by Trump, who called it unacceptable.
Meloni’s proposal could bring much-needed clarity to these issues. If Russia refuses, it will be clear that security concerns are not its real motive. Meanwhile, the U.S. approach to Ukraine will also come under greater scrutiny, as Washington’s current policies seem to prioritize economic control over genuine security guarantees.
The situation in Ukraine remains complex, with powerful nations involved in both military and economic struggles. By offering a NATO-style security guarantee without membership, Meloni has introduced a unique solution that could reveal the true intentions of both Russia and the West.
