Merz Floats Article 5-Like Guarantees for Ukraine as Kremlin Pushes Back

December 19 ------ German Chancellor Friedrich Merz said Ukraine could receive security guarantees comparable to NATO’s Article 5 following a ceasefire with Russia, describing recent diplomatic talks in Berlin as a major step forward while stressing that key decisions remain unresolved.

In an interview with German public broadcaster ZDF on Tuesday evening, Merz noted discussions with European partners and the US had advanced significantly on how Ukraine could be protected after active fighting ends – even without formal NATO membership. Merz said the latest diplomatic talks in Berlin had brought up “a clear step forward,” particularly regarding Washington’s willingness to join Europeans in providing post-war security guarantees for Kyiv. “We have even discussed Article 5-like security guarantees,” Merz said, referring to NATO’s collective defense clause.

He said such guarantees could include securing a demilitarized zone between the warring sides and responding militarily to renewed Russian attacks. However, he emphasized that these measures are being discussed for the period after a ceasefire, not during active hostilities. “So far, we are not there yet,” Merz said.

Asked about Russian President Vladimir Putin’s rejection of foreign troops on Ukrainian soil, Merz dismissed Moscow’s objections. “Putin has said ‘Nyet’ to many things. At some point, he will have to say ‘yes’ if this war is to end,” Merz said, adding that Ukraine would need protection in the postwar phase. But skepticism over the concept has not subsided. Analysts in the US have warned that such arrangements would fall well short of NATO’s collective defense clause, lacking binding legal force and long-term credibility.

A Washington-based defense think tank warned that vague postwar guarantees may prove neither durable nor enforceable, especially if they rely on shifting political will in Western capitals. Russia’s Deputy Foreign Minister Sergey Ryabkov reiterated in an interview with ABC News on Monday that Russia definitely “will not at any moment subscribe to, agree to, or even be content with, any presence of NATO troops on the Ukrainian territory.”

Source: kyivpost.com