Putin agreed to let U.S., Europe offer NATO-style protections for Ukraine, Trump envoy says

Published

2 weeks ago

August 18, 2025

Washington — Russia’s Vladimir Putin agreed at his summit with President Trump to allow the U.S. and its European allies to offer Ukraine a security guarantee resembling NATO’s collective defense mandate as part of an eventual deal to end the 3 1/2-year war in Ukraine, special U.S. envoy Steve Witkoff said Sunday.

“We were able to win the following concession: That the United States could offer Article 5-like protection, which is one of the real reasons why Ukraine wants to be in NATO,” he told CNN’s “State of the Union.” He added that it “was the first time we had ever heard the Russians agree to that” and called them “game-changing.”

Article 5, at the heart of the 32-member military alliance, states that an armed attack against one or more of the members shall be considered an attack against all members.

Witkoff, who had joined Secretary of State Marco Rubio for the talks Friday at a military base in Alaska, offered few details on how such an agreement would work. But it appeared to be a major shift for Putin and could serve as a workaround to his long-standing objection to Ukraine’s potential NATO membership.

Outlining some of the details about the private discussions, Witkoff also said Russia had agreed to enact a law that it would not “go after any other European countries and violate their sovereignty. And there was plenty more.”

European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, speaking at a news conference in Brussels with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, applauded the move. “We welcome President Trump’s willingness to contribute to Article 5-like security guarantees for Ukraine and the ‘Coalition of the willing’ — including the European Union — is ready to do its share,” she said.

Zelenskyy thanked the United States for recent signals that Washington was willing to support such guarantees, but said much was unclear.

“It is important that America agrees to work with Europe to provide security guarantees for Ukraine,” he said, “But there are no details how it will work, and what America’s role will be, Europe’s role will be and what the EU can do, and this is our main task, we need security to work in practice like Article 5 of NATO, and we consider EU accession to be part of the security guarantees.”

Witkoff defended Mr. Trump’s decision to abandon his push that Russian agree to an immediate ceasefire, which the president had set as a benchmark going into the meeting. Witkoff said the Republican president had pivoted toward a peace deal because so much progress was made.

“We covered almost all the other issues necessary for a peace deal,” Witkoff said, without elaborating. “We began to see some moderation in the way they’re thinking about getting to a final peace deal.”

Rubio said on “Face the Nation with Margaret Brennan” that he did not believe imposing new U.S. sanctions on Russia would force Putin to accept a ceasefire.

“If he did this now, the moment the president puts those additional sanctions, that’s the end of the talks,” Rubio said. “We want to wind up with a peace deal that ends this war so Ukraine can go on with the rest of their lives and rebuild their country and be assured that this is never going to happen again. That’s the goal here.”

Rubio said that Kyiv “is going to have to accept things, but they’re going to have to get things too.”

“For example, Ukraine is a sovereign country. They have a right, like every sovereign country does in the world, to enter into security alliances with other countries to prevent an invasion in the future, to prevent threats to their national security,” Rubio said. “That’s not an unreasonable request. That’s something that needs to be worked on.”

Mr. Trump on Sunday wrote on social media, “President Zelenskyy of Ukraine can end the war with Russia almost immediately, if he wants to, or he can continue to fight. Remember how it started. No getting back Obama given Crimea (12 years ago, without a shot being fired!), and NO GOING INTO NATO BY UKRAINE. Some things never change!!!”

Zelenskyy and European leaders, who heard from Mr. Trump after the summit, are scheduled to meet with him at the White House on Monday.

Rubio said of the talks with Russia, “I’m not saying we’re on the verge of a peace deal, but I am saying that we saw movement, enough movement to justify a follow up meeting with Zelenskyy and the Europeans, enough movement for us to dedicate even more time to this.”

Zelenskyy on Sunday night said on social media that he had arrived in Washington, D.C., for Monday’s meeting, but pushed back on the Trump administration’s comments about ceding territory to Russia.

“We all share a strong desire to end this war quickly and reliably. And peace must be lasting. Not like it was years ago, when Ukraine was forced to give up Crimea and part of our East—part of Donbas—and Putin simply used it as a springboard for a new attack,” Zelenskyy wrote, adding “Crimea should not have been given up then, just as Ukrainians did not give up Kyiv, Odesa, or Kharkiv after 2022.”

“I am confident that we will defend Ukraine, effectively guarantee security, and that our people will always be grateful to President Trump, everyone in America, and every partner and ally for their support and invaluable assistance,” Zelenskyy said. “Russia must end this war, which it itself started. And I hope that our joint strength with America, with our European friends, will force Russia into a real peace. Thank you!”

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LSU vs. Clemson live updates: Tigers battle as top draft prospects Garrett Nussmeier, Cade Klubnik headline

Published

42 minutes ago

August 31, 2025

John Talty

A top-10 showdown in Death Valley (East) could be the best of a terrific Week 1 college football slate to open the 2025 season.No. 9 LSU at No. 4 Clemson has more than enough storylines to keep you interested.

In Clemson quarterback Cade Klubnik vs. LSU quarterback Garrett Nussmeier, you have two of the most popular options to be taken No. 1 overall in next year’s NFL Draft. It’s why multiple NFL general managers are expected to be inside Memorial Stadium on Saturday. But, it doesn’t stop there.

It’s “DLU” (Clemson’s Peter Woods, T.J. Parker) vs. what could be LSU’s reemergence as “DBU” after an aggressive offseason talent overhaul. It’s star receivers (LSU’s Nic Anderson and Barion Brown) vs. star receivers (Clemson’s Antonio Williams, Bryant Wesco Jr.) It’s Dabo Swinney vs. Brian Kelly. Tigers vs. Tigers.

A win puts the victor on the fast track to making the College Football Playoff. A loss makes the path that much more treacherous, especially for LSU and a slate that still includes six preseason top 25 SEC teams.

Keep it locked here as CBS Sports provides you with live updates, highlights and analysis as LSU battles Clemson to open the 2025 season in Week 1.

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Florida State 31-17 Alabama (Aug 30, 2025) Game Recap

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2 hours ago

August 30, 2025

The Editors

TALLAHASSEE, Fla. — — New quarterback Tommy Castellanos led a punishing rushing attack for Florida State with 78 yards and a touchdown as the Seminoles stunned No. 8 Alabama 31-17 on Saturday, ending the Crimson Tide’s streak of 23 straight wins in season openers.

Coming off a 2-10 season, Florida State handed a crushing setback to Alabama, which was viewed as a College Football Playoff contender under second-year coach Kalen DeBoer.

Students and fans swarmed the field at Doak Campbell Stadium to celebrate the upset by the Seminoles, who were 13 1/2-point underdogs according to Sportsbook.

Under new offensive coordinator Gus Malzahn — who spent eight seasons as Auburn’s head coach — Florida State was physical from the start, finishing with 230 rushing yards and averaging 4.7 yards per carry. The Seminoles averaged just 89.9 yards during their disastrous 2024 season.

The Crimson Tide had not dropped a season opener since losing 20-17 to UCLA in 2001 under Dennis Franchione, and this defeat will ratchet up the pressure on DeBoer from the demanding Tuscaloosa faithful. His predecessor, Nick Saban, led Alabama to six national titles.

DeBoer fell to 6-4 against unranked teams at Alabama; Saban went 124-4 in such games.

Alabama couldn’t solve Florida State’s defense, finishing with 87 rushing yards on 29 carries. Florida State halted Alabama three times on fourth down, the final time coming with 5:39 to go.

Castellanos, a Boston College transfer, had 16 carries while no one else had more than seven rushing attempts for the Seminoles. He also completed 9 of 14 passes for 152 yards as Florida State defeated its first ranked opponent since knocking off No. 19 Louisville in the 2023 Atlantic Coast Conference championship game.

Micahi Danzy, Caziah Holmes and Gavin Sawchuk also had rushing touchdowns for Florida State.

Ty Simpson completed 23 of 43 passes for 254 yards and two touchdowns in his Alabama debut. Germie Bernard led Alabama with eight catches for 146 yards.

The takeaway

Alabama: The Crimson Tide scored on an opening drive that went 8 minutes, 50 seconds, but struggled to sustain drives the rest of the afternoon.

Florida State: The Seminoles bounced back on a big stage as coach Mike Norvell began his sixth season by picking up a fifth win over a Southeastern Conference team.

Up next

Alabama hosts Louisiana-Monroe next Saturday.

Florida State hosts East Texas A&M next Saturday.

——

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Alabama vs. Florida State live updates: Crimson Tide, Seminoles battle in clash of marquee brands

Published

3 hours ago

August 30, 2025

Chip Patterson

One of the biggest nonconference clashes of Week 1 features No. 8 Alabama making its first-ever trip to Tallahassee, Florida, squaring off against a Florida State team that is looking to erase the disappointment of 2024 with a strong performance from a retooled Seminoles roster.

Alabama enters the 2025 with its own bounce-back motivations after last year’s 9-4 finish fell short of expectations for Year 1 under Kalen DeBoer. After inheriting Nick Saban’s program, DeBoer fell just short of the 12-team College Football Playoff in part because of multiple losses as a double-digit favorite. That’s the same favorite status the Crimson Tide carry into this season-opening road tilt, providing a great opportunity for Alabama to start its playoff march by reversing that trend.

For Florida State, there’s a lot at stake in terms of proving that last season’s stunning collapse was just a blip on the radar. After going 13-1 in 2023, Mike Norvell’s team started the season in the top 10 and proceeded to go 2-10. Norvell made new hires at offensive coordinator (Gus Malzahn) and defensive coordinator (Tony White) and brings in a host of transfer talent, including quarterback Tommy Castellanos, to try and flip the script and get the program back on track.

It’s a huge statement spot for both teams in what should be an electric environment in a renovated Doak Campbell Stadium.

Keep it locked here as CBS Sports provides you with live updates, highlights and analysis as Alabama battles Florida State to open the 2025 season in Week 1.

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