Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni wants NATO to protect Ukraine. She said this in a speech on March 19.
NATO’s Article 5 is a promise to defend each other if one country is attacked. It has only been used once, after the 9/11 attacks in New York. Meloni thinks extending this protection to Ukraine would be helpful.
She wants Russia to accept security guarantees that are defensive, not offensive. If Russia doesn’t plan to invade again, it shouldn’t have a problem with these guarantees. Meloni first suggested this idea on March 6.
Some countries want to send peacekeepers to Ukraine to enforce a ceasefire. However, Italy does not support sending troops to eastern Ukraine.
Over 30 countries are willing to contribute to a peacekeeping force in Ukraine. The UK and France are leading the initiative. Canada and Australia have also said they might participate.
Meloni wants her idea of extending Article 5 protection to be on the negotiating table. NATO allies agreed that Ukraine is on an irreversible path towards membership last July. However, they haven’t invited Ukraine to join formally despite repeated requests from Kyiv.
US President Donald Trump suggested that Russia would allow European peacekeepers in Ukraine as part of a deal. Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov rejected this idea publicly.
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