A meeting of the Contact Group on Ukraine's Defense in the Ramstein format was scheduled for October 12 to discuss the fate of further military and financial aid to Ukraine. US President Joe Biden was also scheduled to hold a separate meeting in Berlin with the leaders of Britain, Germany and France to discuss the Ukrainian issue. However, Biden, followed by Blinken, canceled his visit due to Hurricane Milton.
This was reported by White House.
"Given the projected track and strength of Hurricane Milton, President Biden is postponing his upcoming trip to Germany and Angola to observe preparations and response to Hurricane Milton, in addition to ongoing response efforts to Hurricane Helene in the Southeast", the statement said.
Biden was scheduled to arrive in Germany on Oct. 10 for meetings with German President Frank-Walter Steinmeier and Chancellor Olaf Scholz, and on Oct. 12 for a meeting at the Ramstein Air Base.
Ukraine Focus of Ramstein Meeting
During his visit to Ramstein, Biden was scheduled to meet with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy. During the 25th meeting of the Ramstein format, Ukraine planned to present its partners with a "victory plan".
NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte also said at a press conference in Kyiv that the meeting with Biden was to discuss the issue of granting Ukraine permission to use long-range weapons against military targets in Russia.
Changes in diplomatic plans
U.S. Secretary of State Anthony Blinken, who was to accompany Biden, also canceled his trip and will return to the United States from Laos.
In turn, Pentagon spokeswoman Sabrina Singh said that the US Department of Defense was discussing new details of the Ramstein meeting in Germany due to the change in plans of top US officials. Later it was announced that the meeting of the contact group on Ukraine's defense in the Ramstein format, scheduled for October 12 in Germany, had been postponed.
Author: Danylo Pievchev