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Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky speaks to the media prior to talks with German Chancellor Olaf Scholz at the Chancellery on October 11, 2024 in Berlin, Germany. (Sean Gallup/Getty Images)
This audio is created with AI assistance

The next meeting of the Ukraine Defense Contact Group, also known as the Ramstein format, will be held in the "coming weeks," President Volodymyr Zelensky said in his evening address on Oct. 30.

Prior to Zelensky's announcement, the White House said on Oct. 17 that the next meeting in the Ramstein format would be held online in November virtually but did not disclose the exact date of the event.

U.S. President Joe Biden was initially supposed to convene a leader-level meeting of the Ukraine Defense Contact Group in Germany on Oct. 12 but postponed it due to Hurricane Milton in the U.S.

"It is very important that each support package is fully implemented, and that our actions with our partners are truly coordinated and as effective as possible," Zelensky said.

The Ukraine Defense Contact Group is a 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 virtual Ramstein meeting will be the first one held at the 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.

At the initially planned Ramstein meeting, Zelensky was set to present his five-point victory plan to allies, although he met with leaders individually following the summit's postponement.

Opinion: Canceled Ramstein meeting marks a missed opportunity for Europe to lead on Ukraine
A short trip to Germany instead of the planned state visit. A four-way meeting in the Chancellery instead of the conference in Ramstein to coordinate future aid for Ukraine with some 50 participating states, including numerous heads of state and government. With Hurricane Milton in Florida preventin…
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