Western leaders gathered Thursday in southwestern France to commemorate the 80th anniversary of the Normandy landings, which led to victory over Nazi Germany in World War II.
In a gesture of Western unity and alignment, French President Emmanuel Macron, US President Joe Biden, King Charles III and Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau paid tribute to the immense sacrifices made by the tens of thousands of troops on the sandy beaches and cliffs of Normandy, where American paratroopers arrived in the early hours of June 6, 1944.
Russian President Vladimir Putin was the main leader absent from the event. He was not invited by the Elysee Palace due to the Kremlin's war against Ukraine.
In return, Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelenskyy received a warm welcome from Western leaders who support his country in its war with Russia.
Speaking at the commemoration service of the D-Day landings, Biden said the United States and NATO and a coalition of more than 50 countries are standing strong with Ukraine.
“We will not walk away. Because if we do, Ukraine will be subjugated, and it will not end there. Ukraine’s neighbors will be threatened. All of Europe will be threatened,” he said.
The US President then strongly lashed out at Putin, describing him as “a tyrant bent on domination.”
