Russia Ukraine meeting in limbo due to Biden's refusal

Hurricane Milton in the USA and the postponement of US President Joe Biden's visit to Germany are throwing the Western strategy meetings to support Ukraine into disarray.

The White House canceled the President's trip to Berlin next weekend due to the expected hurricane. The Pentagon also announced that Biden would not be attending a meeting of Ukraine's military supporters at the US base in Ramstein on Saturday. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyi was also expected to attend this meeting with many heads of state and government to talk about his so-called victory plan.

Federal Chancellor Olaf Scholz (SPD) showed understanding for Biden's decision. "If such storms were raging in my country, then I would also make this decision," he said in the program "RTL Direkt spezial - Am Tisch mit Olaf Scholz". It would have been "a very important meeting", but it would be made up for. Biden announced a telephone call with Scholz to find an alternative date. Like the US President, Secretary of State Antony Blinken also canceled his trip to Germany.

For the southern part of Ukraine, the night to Wednesday began with another air alert because, according to the military, numerous Russian combat drones were in the air. Russian aircraft again dropped glide bombs on the city of Kharkiv in eastern Ukraine on Tuesday evening. During the day, at least two people were killed and around two dozen injured by attacks with these heavy bombs.

When will Zelensky get an answer to his "victory plan"?

Selensky's so-called victory plan is not public in detail. However, it envisages increasing military pressure on Russia thanks to Western aid. Moscow should realize that the war of aggression against Ukraine cannot be won. Kiev is therefore demanding that it be allowed to use long-range weapons from the USA and Great Britain against military targets in the Russian rear. Ukraine is also hoping to be accepted into NATO or receive similarly strong security guarantees.

However, the international meetings with a response from the supporting countries have been canceled due to Biden's refusal, or their format is unclear. It was not only the German Chancellor and the US President who were supposed to meet in Berlin. The government in London confirmed that a four-way meeting with Biden, Scholz, British Prime Minister Keir Starmer and French President Emmanuel Macron was actually planned for Saturday morning in Berlin. Polish President Andrzej Duda and Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau had also announced their attendance for Ramstein before Biden's cancellation.

Kiev no longer expects peace summit in November

Ukraine is under military pressure; in the east, Russian troops are advancing into one village after another despite heavy losses. At the same time, Ukraine is hoping to make progress with diplomatic initiatives while Biden, who is sympathetic to it, is still in office in Washington. However, Kiev is already expecting a postponement of the second peace summit hoped for in November. An advisor in the presidential office, Darija Sariwna, told the news portal "Telegraf" that a November date would probably not be possible. Conferences are currently being held to prepare the content. The date of the summit could only be set afterwards.

Ukraine had gathered more than 100 countries and organizations for a first peace summit in Switzerland in mid-June. Russia refused to participate from the outset and was therefore not invited. The follow-up meeting - this time preferably with Moscow - was actually supposed to take place before the US election on November 5. If former President Donald Trump returns to the White House, it is uncertain whether and to what extent he will help the country attacked by Russia.

Selenskyj: Keeping up the pressure on Russia in Kursk

In his evening video message on Tuesday, Zelensky emphasized how important the advance of Ukrainian troops into the Russian region of Kursk continues to be. "The fighting in the Kursk region is now entering its third month," he said. "We are maintaining the necessary pressure on Russia in this area." Mobile units of the Ukrainian army had advanced across the border into the Kursk region on August 6 and captured the small town of Sudzha on August 8. According to the Ukrainians, they occupy more than 1,000 square kilometers. Russian President Vladimir Putin ordered a recapture of the area, but this is making little progress. Selensky sees the conquest as a bargaining chip for a possible exchange.

Bundeswehr sees progress in recruitment in Ukraine

The Bundeswehr sees great progress in the recruitment of new soldiers in Ukraine. "We have an insight into the Ukrainian recruitment figures. And they have increased significantly since the spring, namely in the five-digit range," Christian Freuding, Head of the Ukraine Special Staff at the Federal Ministry of Defense, told Redaktionsnetzwerk Deutschland (RND). The Ukrainian army is also receiving more ammunition. "The artillery superiority of the Russians is no longer as high as it was in the spring, it has decreased from eight to one to around three to one."

In Ukraine itself, the current mobilization is viewed less optimistically. Roman Kostenko, a member of the parliamentary defense committee, spoke of declining recruitment figures in an interview with Radio NV. He warned that the Ukrainian army would soon no longer be able to compensate for the losses. In another interview, Kostenko recommended lowering the recruitment age further from 25 to 20.