High-level meeting of the Contact Group on the provision of defense assistance to Ukraine, at which is expected to be attended by representatives of about 50 countries, including US President Joe Biden, will be held at the US Air Force Base "Rammstein" in Southwest Germany next month. This was announced by the German government, quoted by DPA and BTA.
This week, US President Joe Biden announced that he would be in Germany from October 10 to 12, and invited the countries supporting Ukraine to attend the meeting, but without specifying where it would be held.
Similar meetings are held frequently in "Rammstein" after the Russian invasion of Ukraine, but so far only at the level of defense ministers. They aim to coordinate military aid to Ukraine, DPA notes.
Biden will also meet with German Chancellor Olaf Scholz and President Frank-Walter Steinmeier. This is the first bilateral visit of the American president to Germany since he took office in 2021.
Meanwhile, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky expressed his conviction that it is possible that the military plans of his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin will be thwarted even before the presidential elections in the United States in November, Ukrinform reported.
Zelensky's statement, published on the "Telegram" social network, followed his meeting with Donald Trump, the US presidential candidate from the Republican Party.
"First of all, it is very important to share our plan, all our steps, how we can strengthen Ukraine, and of course we have to solve it now. Because after November we don't know who will be president (of the USA – ed.), only America will decide who will be president, but we understand that before November we can stop Putin, we will try to do it on the battlefield field with our heroic soldiers", said the Ukrainian head of state.
He also expressed hope that support for his country from the US would be very strong.
In his evening video address yesterday, Zelensky confirmed, quoted by Ukrinform, that he presented during his visit to the United States his plan for victory against Russia and explained every point of it. He emphasized the importance of tightening sanctions against Moscow and providing long-range weapons to Kiev.
"Russia must lose this war. Ukraine must prevail. These are the true foundations of common security. Peace through strength," Zelensky said.