Italy's leader Meloni extends security assurances to Ukraine, minus NATO involvement

Italian Prime Minister Proposes "NATO-lite" Option for Ukraine

Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni has put forth a plan for collective military aid to Ukraine, without the country's NATO membership. This proposal, often referred to as a "NATO-lite" option, is one of many options being considered as U.S. President Donald Trump agreed to support security guarantees for Ukraine.

The Italian plan is similar to NATO's collective defense but is not equal to collective defense under NATO's Article 5. Countries that sign bilateral agreements with Ukraine, under the proposed mechanism, would be obliged to respond in case of military actions against Ukraine. The proposed mechanism provides for an obligation to coordinate a response within 24 hours.

The details of the Italian plan have been reported by the National News Service. The plan does not equal collective defense under NATO's Article 5, but it does provide for an obligation to coordinate a response within 24 hours. It is important to note that the plan is not tied to Ukraine's NATO membership, acknowledging that the membership is not on the table at this time.

The Italian plan is being discussed among European allies. However, as of now, there are no specific countries mentioned in the available search results that have distanced themselves from Giorgia Meloni's proposed "NATO-lite" option for Ukraine or considered signing bilateral agreements with Ukraine.

This proposal comes as a significant development in the ongoing efforts to provide security guarantees for Ukraine. It remains to be seen how this plan will be received by the international community and whether other countries will join Italy in supporting this initiative.

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