Estonian politicians express frustration at Ramstein summit postponement
The postponement or even possible cancellation of the Ramstein summit as a result of Hurricane Milton hitting the U.S. is, in the opinion of Estonian politicians, regrettable and sends out the wrong message to Ukraine. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy remains determined however to win support for his 10-point victory plan from Ukraine's biggest European allies.
The Contact Group, named after the Ramstein air base and made up of more than 50 countries, coordinates Ukraine's military support. U.S. President Joe Biden had been due to lead a summit of world leaders this weekend, but opted cancel at the last minute to oversee preparations for Hurricane Milton, which has now hit Florida.
Kalev Stoicescu, chair of the Riigikogu's National Defense Committee, said it was understandable that Biden needed to remain in the U.S. for his people, but still unfortunate that the Ramstein summit would not be going ahead as originally planned.
"He (Biden) could have sent his defense minister, or in any case this could have gone ahead. I think it could have taken place, and it would still have been done at the highest level," said Stoicescu.
"This barbaric hurricane that Russia has unleashed on Ukraine is now in its third year and demands the same kind of constant attention. At this moment in time, just days before the U.S. presidential election, the cancelation of this meeting does not send a good signal to Ukraine or to anyone who really want to help Ukraine. Every day is precious," said Marko Mihkelson (Reform), chair of the Riigikogu's Foreign Affairs Committee.
According to Mihkelson, the major Western powers still do not hold a convincing and unequivocal position that the war has to end with a Ukrainian victory and strategic defeat for Russia. For that to happen, Mihkelson said, actions are needed in addition to words. One component of that is participation in summits of this kind.
President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyy was also due to present his 10-point victory plan at Ramstein, but will now instead do so during a two-day whirlwind visit to Britain, France, Germany and Italy.
"Certainly, during the discussions with (French President Emmanuel) Macron and (German Chancellor Olaf) Scholz, there will be talks about whether, as long as Ukraine is not in NATO, it would be possible to talk about some kind of transnational security guarantees for Ukraine or group of countries [to provide] security guarantees for Ukraine, which could be quite similar to having NATO membership. I think these are actually the main issues that Zelenskyy would like to discuss," said Estonian Minister of Defense Hanno Pevkur (Reform).
According to Pevkur, the Ukrainians are also hoping for permission from the White House to use long-range weapons on targets inside Russia. Pevkur remains hopeful the Ramstein meeting may still be held at some stage, perhaps even before next week's meeting of NATO defense ministers.
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Editor: Merili Nael, Michael Cole
Source: "Aktuaalne kaamera"