Critical Ukraine War Meeting Canceled After Joe Biden Pulls Out
A critical meeting in Germany with an alliance of more than 50 nations donating military support to Ukraine has been postponed after President Joe Biden canceled his attendance to deal with Hurricane Milton.
Biden said: “I just don’t think I can be out of the country at this time.”
The Ramstein Group is a pro-Ukraine alliance of 57 nations, including all NATO members. The meeting of the group, also known as the Ukraine Defense Contact Group, was scheduled to be the highest-level meeting so far, attended by national leaders of its members for the first time, according to Reuters.
Biden’s visit to Germany set for October 10 to 13, would have been the first U.S. state visit in nearly 40 years. The meeting was scheduled for October 12, and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky was set to present his “victory plan” to other world leaders and discuss how he believes Ukraine can end the war.
Biden was also due to visit Angola. According to a White House statement, Biden’s trip to both countries has been postponed “in order to oversee preparations for and the response to Hurricane Milton, in addition to the ongoing response to the impacts of Hurricane Helene across the Southeast.”
Biden added that he hoped to reschedule the trip “and all the conferences I said I’d participate in.”
On the canceled trip, White House spokesperson Emilie Simons said: “Given the trip was pulled down today, we’re still working through exactly how the Ramstein engagement may play out. Our commitment to Ukraine was a big piece of this, and that is unwavering.”
Approximately 50 countries were scheduled to participate in the Ramstein meeting, and NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte spoke of Biden’s role enthusiastically, saying at an October 8 press conference: “I think it is an excellent initiative by the American president to get us together at a leader’s level in Ramstein next Saturday.”
At the previous Ramstein Group meeting, the U.S. announced an additional presidential drawdown authority (PDA) package for Ukraine of $250 million, which included air defense missiles, munitions for rocket systems and artillery, armored vehicles and antitank weapons.
Newsweek reached out to the White House assistant press secretary for comment via email outside of business hours.
Hurricane Milton, a category five storm, is reported to be one of the most powerful storms in the U.S. since Hurricane Katrina, and the President and Vice President Harris have been making aid provisions ahead of the storm which is set to make landfall Wednesday.
Ahead of the hurricane, the Biden administration announced that they are working to remove debris from Hurricane Helene in Florida and preposition personnel and resources.
This upcoming hurricane swiftly follows Hurricane Helene, which primarily affected Southern states and left 225 dead.
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