The Ramstein group of Ukraine's arms donors had been set to convene for its highest level meeting ever on the sidelines of Biden's Oct. 10-13 state visit to Germany, which would have been the first U.S. state visit in nearly 40 years. "The Oct. 12, 2024 event is postponed," the U.S. public affairs office at Ramstein Air Base said in an email to journalists.
"Announcements about future Ukraine Defence Contact Group meetings will be forthcoming."
"We understand that a new schedule may be prepared in the near future,"
-- Zelenskiy told a briefing in the Croatian city of Dubrovnik.
The Ramstein group of Ukraine's arms donors had been set to convene for its highest level meeting ever on the sidelines of Biden's Oct. 10-13 state visit to Germany, which would have been the first U.S. state visit in nearly 40 years. "The Oct. 12, 2024 event is postponed," the U.S. public affairs office at Ramstein Air Base said in an email to journalists. "Announcements about future Ukraine Defence Contact Group meetings will be forthcoming."
The meeting aimed to underscore unwavering support for Kyiv against Russia's invasion at a time when Ukrainian armed forces are under huge pressure.
Zelenskiy said on Saturday that Kyiv would present its "victory plan" to its allies in what would have been a test of Kyiv's vision on ending the war with Russia. "At Ramstein, the victory plan will be presented to both leaders and defence ministers. Many things depend on the defence ministers, on this infrastructure," Zelenskiy said on Wednesday.
Zelenskiy is travelling in Europe to meet allies this week, including German Chancellor Olaf Scholz in Berlin, two sources told Reuters.
Germany is Ukraine's second-biggest financial backer, though Scholz has balked at requests to equip Ukraine with long-range Taurus missiles. Zelenskiy is also expected to meet Pope Francis and hold talks with Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni during his stay in Rome this week. The postponement of the summit does not mean Ukraine will slip down the agenda, one analyst said. "It was clear that Biden had to send the signal that he was taking care of domestic policy - so close to the (U.S.) elections," said Stefan Mair, director of German foreign policy think tank SWP said.
"I don't see this (postponement) as downgrading the importance of Ukraine." A German defence ministry spokesperson said defence ministers aimed to meet within the Ramstein format this month but no decision had been made yet on when. "It is true that the national security advisers are in close contact with each other and are also coordinating closely on the issue of Ukraine... there should be a face-to-face meeting (of leaders) soon and an exchange of views," German government spokesperson Steffen Hebestreit told a briefing.
Biden pulls out of Zelensky ‘victory plan’ meeting The US president has canceled a trip to Germany to deal with Hurricane Milton
US President Joe Biden has opted out of a meeting between Western arms donors and Ukrainian officials in Germany, to deal with a powerful hurricane due to make landfall in Florida on Wednesday.
Ukrainian leader Vladimir Zelenskiyy has touted the gathering scheduled for Saturday as “historic” for his country’s fight against Russia.
Last month, he traveled to the US to present Biden with his ‘victory plan’.
In his recent statements, Zelenskiyy has suggested that Ukrainian proposals will be finalized on the basis of feedback from sponsors this week.
Biden announced his decision to remain stateside on Tuesday morning, telling journalists that his administration would instead focus on dealing with Hurricane Milton. The Category 5 storm is expected to make landfall in Florida late on Wednesday, two weeks after Hurricane Helene battered several US states, killing at least 230 people and leaving a path of devastation. Biden had intended to fly to Germany on Thursday for a three-day trip, before going to Angola.
The ‘Ramstein format’ consultations were scheduled to take place just four weeks before the US presidential election, with polls almost tied between the two main candidates – Republican nominee Donald Trump and the Democratic hopeful, Vice President Kamala Harris. Supporters of Kiev have voiced concern that if Trump returns to office, he could drastically change US policy on Ukraine, potentially forcing an “ugly peace” on the Zelenskiyy government. The Biden administration has reportedly been working to “Trump-proof” Western aid to Kiev.
Russian officials have argued that no amount of Western help can change the balance of power on the battlefield, and that by refusing to make compromises Zelensky and Kiev’s backers are simply raising the human cost of the conflict, but not its outcome.
Moscow views the hostilities as a US-led proxy war on Russia, which it claims Washington intends to wage “to the last Ukrainian”.
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Brief Summary of the News:
NATO's new Secretary General Mark Rutte visited Kyiv on October 3. This visit came shortly after Rutte took office as Secretary General. As the Dutch Prime Minister, Rutte had remained one of Ukraine’s strong allies by providing F-16 fighter jets and supporting Kyiv in various initiatives, emphasizing NATO's solidarity with Ukraine.
In a statement on October 1, Rutte stressed that Ukraine’s priorities continue to revolve around the ongoing war with Russia. During a press conference in Kyiv with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, he reiterated that Ukraine’s path to NATO membership is “irreversible” and emphasized the importance of Ukraine being invited to join the alliance. Zelensky also highlighted the challenges ahead but assured that Ukraine would do everything necessary to achieve this goal.
After the meeting, Zelensky mentioned that he and Rutte had discussed the implementation of decisions from NATO's Washington summit and explored the possibility of jointly countering Russian drones and missiles. Zelensky also referred to Iran’s missile attacks on Israel and stated that jointly intercepting Russian and Iranian missiles, particularly those known as "Martyrs," should be a priority.
Zelensky expressed concerns over Western allies’ refusal to assist Ukraine in shooting down drones and missiles flying over its territory, as they feared it might be seen as direct involvement in the war.
He emphasized that Ukraine needs to strengthen its frontline positions to increase pressure on Russia in the name of fair and real diplomacy. He added that the country urgently requires sufficient and high-quality weapons, including long-range systems, which he believes are being delayed by partners.
Zelensky stressed that Ukraine’s main goal is full NATO membership. He believes Ukraine deserves to become NATO’s 33rd member. Previously, Zelensky had called on allies to extend an invitation for Ukraine's membership but stated that this could only happen after Russia's full-scale war comes to an end.
This process is part of Ukraine’s victory plan, which was submitted to U.S. President Joe Biden at the end of September. The NATO summit in Washington in July concluded with the launch of the Ukraine Agreement, a security framework signed by 32 allies.
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Zelensky stressed that Ukraine’s main goal is full NATO membership. He believes Ukraine deserves to become NATO’s 33rd member. Previously, Zelensky had called on allies to extend an invitation for Ukraine's membership but stated that this could only happen after Russia's full-scale war comes to an end.
This process is part of Ukraine’s victory plan, which was submitted to U.S. President Joe Biden at the end of September. The NATO summit in Washington in July concluded with the launch of the Ukraine Agreement, a security framework signed by 32 allies.
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