Skip to Main Content

Toggle menu

Europe

Pro

E&E News

Press Escape to close the menu.

WASHINGTON & POLITICS

Congress

White House

Supreme Court and Legal Issues

Magazine

Latest on POLITICO

STATE POLITICS & POLICY

California

Florida

New Jersey

New York

GLOBAL POLITICS & POLICY

Brussels

Canada

United Kingdom

World Cup

POLICY NEWS

Food and Agriculture

Cybersecurity

Defense

Education

Energy and Climate

Tax, Finance and the Economy

Health Care

Labor

Tech

Trade

Transportation

NEWSLETTERS

Playbook

West Wing Playbook

Inside Congress

POLITICO Nightly

POLITICO Weekend

All Newsletters

COLUMNISTS

Alex Burns

Victoria Guida

John Harris

Debra Kahn

Ankush Khardori

Jonathan Martin

Michael Schaffer

Nahal Toosi

All Columnists

SERIES & MORE

Inside Congress Live

Breaking News Alerts

Podcasts

Video

Matt Wuerker Cartoons

Cartoon Carousel

The POLITICO Poll

Trump Tariff Revenue Tracker

POLITICO Live

Events

Follow Us

X

Instagram

Facebook

My AccountLog In

Exclusive

Don’t mention ‘Article 5,’ Finland warns US on Ukraine

Some NATO countries worry using any version of the term “Article 5” for Ukraine defense could weaken its deterrence.

Finland's Foreign Minister Elina Valtonen laid out her country's concerns about using the term "Article 5-like" in reference to Ukraine during a meeting with American lawmakers. | Michaela Stache/AFP via Getty Images

By Nahal Toosi and Paul McLeary02/04/2026 06:30 PM EST

Finland has urged U.S. officials not to describe future security pledges to a postwar Ukraine as “Article 5-like,” implying that doing so could undercut the mutual defense clause at the heart of the NATO military alliance, according to a State Department cable obtained by POLITICO.

The Jan. 20 cable hints at worries in some corners over the labels used during peace talks between Kyiv and Moscow. They show how sensitive some phrases can be in the national security realm, even when officials are merely trying to offer an analogy to various audiences.

According to the cable, sent from the U.S. Embassy in Helsinki to Washington, Finnish Foreign Minister Elina Valtonen discussed the issue on Jan. 19 with U.S. Reps. Jack Bergman (R-Mich.) and Sarah Elfreth (D-Md.), both of whom are members of the House Armed Services Committee.

Valtonen underscored Finland’s view that Russia is a “long-term strategic threat” and cautioned against a “weak” peace deal for Ukraine that would hinder its ability to defend itself against future Russian aggression, the cable states.

But Valtonen cautioned against any suggestions of “Article 5-like” security guarantees in a postwar Ukraine, the cable adds. She warned that it risked conflating NATO’s Article 5 guarantees with whatever bilateral promises are made to Ukraine. It also quotes her as saying there should be a “firewall” between NATO and future security guarantees to Ukraine. Finland’s defense minister made similar points in a later meeting, according to the cable.

Article 5 is a critical clause in the NATO pact that means an armed attack on one member of the 32-member alliance will be treated as an attack on all members. NATO has invoked the article only once: after Islamist terrorists attacked the U.S. on Sept. 11, 2001.

The documents’ contents offer insight into concerns voiced by other Finnish leaders who have said that, while they want to help Ukraine protect itself, the concept of a security “guarantee” is a more serious matter they’re not ready to agree to just yet.

A Finnish official said Valtonen’s office wouldn’t comment on confidential discussions, though underscored Helsinki’s long-standing goal of eventually accepting Ukraine into the NATO alliance.

“Finland’s objective is to ensure that Ukraine receives the strongest possible security arrangements and guarantees in support of a sustainable and lasting peace,” the official said, who was granted anonymity to speak about sensitive policy matters. “Finland’s position is that Ukraine’s future lies within NATO.”

Former NATO officials and analysts said the cable reflects growing concerns in various capitals about how engaging with a postwar Ukraine could affect individual countries in the long run.

One potential problem is that “using the term Article 5 in other contexts implies NATO involvement that is not in fact a part of any of these proposed arrangements,” said Edward Wrong, a former NATO official. “Finland and many other NATO members want to ensure it is understood that Article 5 is unique to NATO.”

The State Department declined to comment.

Elfreth, one of the U.S. lawmakers Valtonen met with, did not address the session with the Finnish foreign minister directly, but said in a statement: “From our many meetings, it was clear to me that our NATO allies, new and old, are committed to advancing shared goals of defending our partners from Russian and other adversarial influences.”

Bergman declined to comment.

Using Article 5 as a parallel has multiple upsides and downsides, especially given the range of attitudes toward Ukraine in NATO, the former officials and analysts said. That’s further complicated by the likelihood that individual countries, or select groups of countries — but not NATO itself — will offer Ukraine security aid in the near future.

One challenge is that by referring to Article 5, even with the “like” attached to it, national leaders could hand political ammunition to opposition groups, said Josh Shifrinson, a scholar with the University of Maryland, College Park, who advocates for a more restrained foreign policy.

There’s also the possibility that framing a security pledge to Ukraine as “Article 5-like” will entice Russia to test what that truly means.

If Russia stages some sort of an armed attack and the countries backing Ukraine struggle to respond, that could raise questions about the strength of NATO’s Article 5, said Rachel Ellehuus, a former Biden administration Defense Department official assigned to NATO.

On top of that, other members of NATO, especially those in Europe, are acutely aware of President Donald Trump’s dim views of the alliance. They are reacting to his demands that they step up defense spending and have taken on the lion’s share of aid to Ukraine. Given economic uncertainties in the years ahead, just how much they can support Ukraine is in question.

Watch: The Conversation

María Corina Machado and Brian Tyler Cohen | The Conversation

Share

Video Player is loading.

Play Video
58:07

Play
Mute

Current Time 0:00

/

Duration 58:06

Loaded: 0.28%

00:00

Stream Type LIVE

Seek to live, currently behind liveLIVE
Remaining Time -58:06

1x
Playback Rate

2x

1.75x

1.5x

1.25x

1x, selected

0.75x

0.5x

Chapters

Chapters

Descriptions

descriptions off, selected

Captions

captions settings, opens captions settings dialog

captions off, selected

Audio Track

en (Main), selected

Fullscreen

This is a modal window.

Beginning of dialog window. Escape will cancel and close the window.

TextColorWhiteBlackRedGreenBlueYellowMagentaCyanTransparencyOpaqueSemi-TransparentBackgroundColorBlackWhiteRedGreenBlueYellowMagentaCyanTransparencyOpaqueSemi-TransparentTransparentWindowColorBlackWhiteRedGreenBlueYellowMagentaCyanTransparencyTransparentSemi-TransparentOpaque

Font Size50%75%100%125%150%175%200%300%400%Text Edge StyleNoneRaisedDepressedUniformDropshadowFont FamilyProportional Sans-SerifMonospace Sans-SerifProportional SerifMonospace SerifCasualScriptSmall Caps

Reset restore all settings to the default valuesDone

Close Modal Dialog
End of dialog window.

Close Modal Dialog
This is a modal window. This modal can be closed by pressing the Escape key or activating the close button.

Close Modal Dialog
This is a modal window. This modal can be closed by pressing the Escape key or activating the close button.

This is a modal window.

RestartShare

María Corina Machado and Brian Tyler Cohen | The Conversation

“I’m guessing the Finns don’t want to overpromise and under-deliver,” Ellehuus said.

Spokespeople for NATO declined to comment.

Finland is one of NATO’s newest members, having joined after Russia launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022.

The Finnish foreign minister comes across in the cable as tough on Russia, a country with which Finland shares an 830-mile border.

“We should not be naïve in thinking they will change, especially if sanctions get [lifted]” and Russia becomes “empowered politically and economically,” Valtonen is quoted as saying.

Although there are ongoing talks among the U.S., Ukraine and Russia in various formats, Russian leader Vladimir Putin has not committed to a substantial cease-fire and has made demands that many Ukrainians consider unacceptable for a peace deal.

Victor Jack contributed to this report from Brussels.

Filed Under:

Europe

Russia

Foreign Affairs

NATO

Finland

Ukraine

Russia’s War on Ukraine

Jack Bergman

Sarah Elfreth

Loading

You will now start receiving email updates

Please check your inbox for a confirmation email

You are already subscribed
More Subscriptions

Something went wrong

Global Security

This POLITICO Pro newsletter preview explores the people, policies and power shifts shaping today’s international security landscape.

Email

Employer

Job Title

By signing up, you acknowledge and agree to our Privacy Policy and Terms of Service. You may unsubscribe at any time by following the directions at the bottom of the email or by contacting us here. This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply.
Sign Up
* All fields must be completed to subscribe

About Us

Advertising

Breaking News Alerts

Careers

Credit Card Payments

Digital Edition

FAQ

Feedback

Headlines

Photos

Press

Request A Correction

Write For Us

RSS

Site Map

Terms of Service

Privacy Policy

Do Not Sell or Share My Personal Information and Opt Out of Targeted Advertising

© 2026 POLITICO LLC