Biden pulls out of Starmer meeting in Germany as Hurricane Milton approaches US
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US President Joe Biden has postponed a meeting with Sir Keir Starmer and the French and German leaders in Berlin this weekend because of a major hurricane due to hit the US.
The White House said the president will be “postponing” his state visit to Germany and Angola, which was set for Saturday, due to the “projected trajectory and strength of Hurricane Milton” so he can “oversee preparations for and the response” to it.
He is also overseeing the “ongoing response to the impacts of Hurricane Helene across the southeast”.
Earlier on Tuesday, Sir Keir Starmer’s spokesman confirmed a meeting between him, Mr Biden, French President Emmanuel Macron and German Chancellor Olaf Scholz in Berlin on Saturday.
It is not known if the meeting will still go ahead without Mr Biden.
The meeting of the “Quad” nations was set to concentrate on “concerning developments” in the Middle East and the situation in Ukraine, Sir Keir’s spokesman said.
The meeting had been organised to coincide with Mr Biden’s state visit to Germany, where he was supposed to take part in a meeting of the Ramstein group of more than 40 nations that supply Ukraine with arms.
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The group is named after a previous meeting at the US’ Ramstein air base in Germany in 2022 to discuss Ukrainian defence capabilities after Russia’s invasion.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy was also set to be present, Sir Keir’s spokesman said.
The gathering on Saturday in Berlin and then at the Ramstein air base was due to be the first time the Ramstein group had met at a leadership level.
The summit was meant to emphasise to Russian President Vladimir Putin that he cannot hope to play for time and wait for Western support for Ukraine to cease, a German government source said.
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Sir Keir’s spokesman said the situation in the Middle East was also to be discussed as the conflict continues to escalate.
Israel expanded its ground military operation into Lebanon last week, while the Lebanese militant group Hezbollah has launched more rockets at Israel.
Smoke rises in Beirut’s southern suburbs after a strike near the airport. Pic: Reuters
Sir Keir has visited the US three times since becoming prime minister in July, speaking to President Biden about the West’s approach to Ukraine and the Middle East.
President Zelenskyy has said the war entered a “very important phase” after his military struck an important Russian oil terminal.
Mr Putin’s forces continue to occupy large areas of Ukrainian territory.
