Bloomberg reports that Biden rescheduled his visit to Germany on 18 October, but the trip has been shortened and no longer includes a stop at the US military base in Ramstein. He was supposed to lead a meeting with NATO leaders to discuss support for Ukraine.
The indefinite postponement of the high-profile meeting of Ukrainian defense allies comes amid concerns regarding the allies’ commitment to support Ukraine in its fight against the Russian invasion. While publicly Ukraine is committed to regaining all the Russian-occupied territory, Zelenskyy’s Victory plan on this matter was met with lukewarm responses in the US, where the Ukrainian President promoted it several weeks before the planned Ramstein meeting in Germany.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy was expected to attend the meeting and present Ukraine’s Victory plan to key Western leaders. NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte had also indicated plans to discuss the use of long-range weapons against Russian military targets.
During his visit, Biden is expected to receive Germany’s highest civilian honor from President Frank-Walter Steinmeier. However, it’s unclear if UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer and French President Emmanuel Macron will attend Biden’s meeting with Chancellor Olaf Scholz, as originally planned.
Reuters and Spiegel were the first to report that Biden’s trip had been rescheduled to 18 October. His original visit, which was planned for 12 October, was postponed, causing the cancellation of the Ramstein meeting.
This visit will mark the first time a US president has visited Germany in 40 years.
Read more:
- Biden reschedules Germany visit for 18 October, reports say
- Ukraine’s key Ramstein defense talks on hold after Biden cancels Germany trip
- Biden postpones trip to Ramstein in Germany due to hurricane threat
- Biden to lead a Ramstein-format meeting on 12 October in Germany
