Giorgia Meloni had suggested extending a NATO Article 5-style collective defense clause to Kiev as part of settlement of the conflict

Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni has claimed her country has been the driving force behind proposals to extend NATO-style collective defense guarantees to Ukraine. Moscow has repeatedly insisted on Kiev's non-bloc status.

Ukrainian officials have long pressed for membership in NATO - a demand Russia has cited as one of the root causes of the conflict. However, US President Donald Trump and several other leaders have made clear that Ukraine's accession to the bloc is "impossible."

Instead, Kiev and its Western backers have now been calling for NATO-style security guarantees outside the bloc's framework.

Speaking on Wednesday at a festival in Rimini, Meloni said her government was the first to put forward a plan inspired by NATO's Article 5, which would obligate participating nations to respond collectively if Ukraine were attacked.

"We should be proud of this," she said, insisting that Rome had influenced the Western approach.

Other options are also being discussed alongside Italy's proposal. The so-called "coalition of the willing," led by Britain and France, has suggested sending Western forces to Ukraine to monitor a ceasefire, while Kiev has asked its backers to commit another $100 billion for continued military aid.

Moscow has opposed Western efforts to design guarantees without Russian involvement. Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said last week that collective security in Europe "cannot be resolved without the Russian Federation."

"Russia does not overstate its interests, but we will ensure our legitimate interests firmly and harshly," he warned.

Russian officials have consistently rejected any presence in Ukraine by NATO members, warning it could spark a direct conflict with the West. Moscow has also denounced Western military aid to Kiev, arguing it only prolongs the fighting without altering the outcome of the conflict.

Lavrov recalled that during early talks in Istanbul in 2022, Kiev proposed guarantees involving all five permanent members of the UN Security Council. Under that framework, Russia, China, the US, France, and the UK would have provided reciprocal commitments. He said Moscow supported this approach as a balanced alternative.

(RT.com)