'NATO Spirit, Minus Membership': Indian Sources Assess Trump's Meet With Zelenskyy, European Leaders

Last Updated:August 19, 2025, 17:28 IST

While Ukraine has long sought NATO membership, the American proposal points towards a parallel arrangement — similar in spirit to NATO’s Article 5, but without formal accession.

Trump and Zelenskyy with European Leaders | Image: AP

India closely followed the high-level discussions in Washington, where US President Donald Trump, European leaders, and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy met to explore security guarantees for Kyiv, top diplomatic sources have told CNN-News18. While Ukraine has long sought NATO membership, the latest American proposal points towards a parallel arrangement — similar in spirit to NATO’s Article 5, but without formal accession.

According to Indian assessments, President Trump privately conveyed to French President Emmanuel Macron that Washington could extend a US-led security framework promising immediate support in case of fresh Russian aggression. However, this framework would not invoke NATO’s collective defence clause, thereby avoiding a direct provocation of Moscow.

European capitals, especially Paris and Berlin, appear more inclined towards a “collective security clause" signed by the US, EU, and the UK. Such an arrangement, officials explain, would create a binding guarantee of joint action — military, financial, or logistical — should Russia mount another offensive. “The idea is to assure Ukraine of protection while not crossing Moscow’s stated red lines on NATO enlargement," one source said.

A variant floated in discussions suggested deploying American and European engineers and technicians — non-combatants — on Ukrainian soil, under the assumption that their presence would deter Russian escalation. Indian diplomats, however, assess this proposal as vague and difficult to operationalise.

Sources reveal that President Trump also warned European leaders that if a viable pact is not reached within weeks, Washington is prepared with a fresh sanctions package against Russia. The measures would target oil giants Lukoil and Rosneft and restrict Russia’s financial operations in global energy markets.

Meanwhile, France and Germany have advanced the idea of stationing a European peacekeeping force of up to 5,000 soldiers inside Ukraine. Trump, however, reportedly advised them to “wait," arguing that premature deployment could escalate tensions.

The show of unity in Washington was prompted at the request of UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer, who urged that the presence of all European and American leaders alongside Zelenskyy would signal deterrence to Moscow. The Five Eyes intelligence alliance has separately pledged to continue providing Ukraine with top-grade intelligence inputs.

Manoj Gupta

Group Editor, Investigations & Security Affairs, Network18

Group Editor, Investigations & Security Affairs, Network18

Click here to add News18 as your preferred news source on Google. Get breaking news, in-depth analysis, and expert perspectives on everything from geopolitics to diplomacy and global trends. Stay informed with the latest world news only on News18. Download the News18 App to stay updated!

Location :

First Published:

August 19, 2025, 17:28 IST

News world 'NATO Spirit, Minus Membership': Indian Sources Assess Trump's Meet With Zelenskyy, European Leaders

Read More