Extending NATO Article 5 to Ukraine to help expose Putin's bluff - Meloni

That’s according to Askanews, Ukrinform reports.

“I have taken a clear position both on the ineffective proposals of other countries and on the proposals put forward by Italy, namely on the extension of NATO Article 5 to Ukraine: this seems the simplest and most effective proposal of all, also because it would help expose Putin’s possible bluff: if Russia does not plan to invade its neighbors again, it is not clear why it should not accept security guarantees,” Meloni said at the Italian Chamber of Deputies on Tuesday on the eve of the European Council.

According to the Italian Prime Minister, the proposal on Article 5 of the North Atlantic Treaty should be put up for discussion.

“Peace is based on security guarantees. We should not slavishly follow the proposals put forward by others, just because we have to decide where we stand. Our role is to participate with our own proposals; "He who has the courage to make them is doing something useful," Meloni emphasized.

As Ukrinform reported earlier, on March 7, Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni proposed that Article 5 of the North Atlantic Treaty be extended to Ukraine as a security guarantee without granting the country full NATO membership.

Article 5 of the North Atlantic Treaty is a collective defense provision that obliges NATO members to defend each other.