The international summit on Ukraine during which Volodymyr Zelensky was to present a “victory plan” to Western leaders has been officially postponed, although the Ukrainian president will instead try to organize a tour of European capitals.
Organizers announced that Saturday’s meeting of about 20 world leaders at the U.S. Air Base in Ramstein, Germany, would be postponed, a day after Biden said he must stay home to respond to the hurricane Milton, Florida.
Ukrainian sources said Zelensky would travel to Berlin on Friday to meet German Chancellor Olaf Scholz and possibly visit other leaders as part of what the sources described as a “European tour.”
German diplomatic sources also announced that another meeting of leaders to discuss Ukraine would take place soon, although it is unclear whether it will take place before November’s US presidential election, which will pit Donald Trump against , skeptical of military aid to Ukraine, to Kamala Harris, more partisan.
German government spokesman Steffen Hebestreit said: “It is true that the national security advisers are in close contact with each other and are also coordinating on the Ukrainian issue… There should be soon a face-to-face meeting and exchange of points. .of view.
The Ramstein summit was to be the centerpiece of a four-day Biden trip to Germany, where Zelensky was expected to promote Russia’s use of long-range missiles and the provision of more air defense systems, in a new attempt to repel attacks from Moscow. assault.
But it was also an opportunity for Ukraine to present proposals aimed at ending the fighting, even if how to achieve this is unclear. Russia continues to slowly gain ground in eastern Ukraine, and the Kremlin hopes that if Trump wins, the billions of dollars in military support will end.
There had also been speculation that the meeting would discuss concrete steps on how Ukraine could become a member of NATO, but any further commitments should not involve immediate membership or direct military support.
Participants at the summit included Keir Starmer, Prime Minister of Britain, and Emmanuel Macron, President of France, but when Biden said he would not be able to attend, their presence was called into question. Polish President Andrzej Duda withdrew on Wednesday before the postponement was announced.
