Biden postpones visit to Germany due to hurricane ahead of Ramstein meeting

U.S. President Joe Biden is postponing his upcoming trip to Germany and Angola due to the approach of Hurricane Milton, White House spokesperson Karine Jean-Pierre said on Oct. 8.

Biden was supposed to convene a leader-level meeting of the Ukraine Defense Contact Group in Germany on Oct. 12, where President Volodymyr Zelensky is expected to present his victory plan.

The U.S. president put off his visit in order to oversee the emergency response to Hurricane Milton, according to the spokesperson.

The Ukraine Defense Contact Group is the U.S.-led group consisting of over 50 countries, including all 32 NATO members, that convenes at the U.S. Ramstein Air Base in Germany. The last Ramstein meeting on Sept. 6 was the group's 24th gathering since its establishment in April 2022.

The upcoming Ramstein meeting will be the first one held on a leader-level. During the last one Zelensky was present in person, securing more military aid from allies, including the U.S., U.K., Germany, and Canada.

Zelensky already presented his five-point plan to Biden during his trip to the U.S. in late September. Ukraine's president also discussed it with presidential candidates Donald Trump and Kamala Harris, as well as members of Congress.

The plan includes military and diplomatic elements, such as Ukraine’s bid to join NATO, though the full details of the peace framework have not been made public.

According to Kyiv, the goal is to bolster Ukraine’s negotiating position and pressure Russia into agreeing to a just peace.

Kyiv also may be offered "more concrete steps" regarding its NATO membership during the Ramstein summit, the Washington Post reported, citing an undisclosed diplomat.

On Oct. 2, U.S. State Department spokesperson Matthew Miller said the U.S. had reviewed Ukraine's victory plan and identified "a number of productive steps" there.

"The victory plan that Ukraine presented is not just a question of actions that Ukraine would take. It’s a question of actions that other countries around the world would take as well," Miller said.

Ukraine scrambles for resources before uncertain US elections, Russian stockpiles not unlimited

Kyiv’s efforts to secure as many resources as possible from Western allies to tip the scale of Russia’s war in its favor will face a critical moment next weekend as leaders of more than 50 countries meet for the final talks on arming Ukraine before the upcoming U.S.

The Kyiv IndependentAsami Terajima

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