Ramstein meeting rescheduled for November in virtual format, White House says
The White House has rescheduled a meeting of the Ukraine Defense Contact Group to November in a virtual setting after U.S. President Joe Biden cancelled his foreign trips earlier this month to handle the consequences of repeated hurricanes at home.
The announcement was made following a call between Biden and President Volodymyr Zelensky on Oct. 16 to discuss $425 million in new security assistance for Ukraine.
Biden was initially supposed to convene a leader-level meeting of the Ukraine Defense Contact Group in Germany on Oct. 12, but postponed amid the approach of Hurricane Milton.
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 virtual 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.
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.
The victory plan, which was publicly unveiled on Oct. 16, is comprised of five points: an invitation to join NATO, a defense aspect, deterrence of Russian aggression, economic growth and cooperation, and post-war security architecture.
Before the initial summit was postponed, the Washington Post (WP) reported, citing an undisclosed diplomat, that Ukraine may be offered "more concrete steps" regarding its NATO membership during the upcoming Ramstein summit.
U.S. Ambassador to NATO Julianne Smith said on Oct. 16 that NATO does not currently have plans to invite Ukraine into the alliance "in the short term."
The Kyiv Independent news desk
