In a potential breakthrough in the Russia-Ukraine conflict, Russian President Vladimir Putin agreed during an August 15, 2025, summit with U.S. President Donald Trump in Alaska to allow the United States and European allies to provide Ukraine with NATO-style security guarantees resembling Article 5 collective defense protections, as revealed by Trump envoy Steve Witkoff on August 17. Witkoff described the concession as game-changing, marking the first time Russia had assented to such assurances outside formal NATO membership, amid efforts to end the three-and-a-half-year war while addressing Putin’s longstanding opposition to Ukraine joining the alliance. Discussions also touched on enacting Russian laws against violating other European sovereignties and potential territorial issues in Donbas and Crimea, though details remain unclear. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy welcomed the development as historic during an August 17 press conference with European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, who affirmed EU support, but stressed the need for practical implementation and rejected territorial concessions ahead of his August 18 White House meeting with Trump and European leaders.