Rome proposal as precedent: If Russia attacks Ukraine after peace, NATO would respond within 24 hours

Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni advocates a concrete plan of security guarantees for Ukraine, under which the North Atlantic Alliance would provide military assistance to Kyiv within 24 hours if Russia were to attack again in the future.

They also say it is not yet clear whether this plan would include sending NATO troops. European leaders are currently discussing possible models of security guarantees for Ukraine, and Meloni’s plan is one of the options.

The Italian proposal assumes that Ukraine’s membership in NATO is “not a likely option,” but Meloni suggests that Kiev receive security guarantees very similar to Article 5 on collective defense of the North Atlantic Alliance. Under the proposal, if Russia were to attack Ukraine a third time, NATO would come to its aid within 24 hours.

Although this “light version of Article 5 falls far short of the level of collective defense” prescribed by the article itself, the signatories to bilateral agreements with Ukraine would commit to a rapid response in the event of a new Russian attack, according to sources familiar with the situation.

Possible forms of assistance would include rapid and sustained defense support to Kyiv, economic assistance, strengthening the Ukrainian military, and imposing sanctions on Russia. However, it is unclear whether this would include sending NATO troops directly to Ukrainian territory.

Meloni first spoke about her plan in March, but at that time it was not clear exactly what this would entail, the agency recalls. The Italian prime minister stressed at the time that this would be a more lasting solution than deploying foreign troops on Ukrainian soil.

What Article 5 says

In accordance with the North Atlantic Treaty: “The Parties agree that an armed attack against one or more of them in Europe or North America shall be considered an attack against them all. Therefore, they agree that, in the event of such an attack, each of them will exercise its right of individual or collective self-defense, as recognized in Article 51 of the Charter of the United Nations, and will assist the party or parties attacked by taking forthwith, individually and in concert with other parties, take such action as it deems necessary, including the use of armed force, to restore and maintain the security of the North Atlantic area. Any such attack, as well as any measures taken in response thereto, shall immediately be reported to the Security Council. Such measures shall be terminated as soon as the Security Council has taken the measures necessary to restore and maintain international peace and security.

In order to activate Article 5, Article 4 (consultations with NATO partners) must first be applied, and there must be evidence that the attack on the territory of the affected country actually originates from abroad. Only then can the country affected by the attack request the application of Article 5.

The request is decided upon by the North Atlantic Council, where each member state is represented by one representative. Decisions are taken unanimously, and it is not necessary for all members to participate in the final response./Klix.ba/