President Biden and key U.S. allies are visiting Normandy on Thursday to mark the 80th anniversary of the D-Day invasion that prompted the end of World War II.
Mr Biden, French President Emmanuel Macron, British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak and Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau are together marking the biggest victory of the Western Allies in World War II, as well as the largest maritime invasion in history. Mr Biden is in France over the weekend for the D-Day anniversary commemorations, and plans to meet with key allies along the way.
“73,000 brave Americans landed on Utah and Omaha beaches in Normandy on June 6, 1944, and the president will salute American veterans and their families while in France to honor their sacrifice,” he said the press secretary of the White House, Karine Jean-Pierre, when announcing the president's mandate. journey.
Members of Congress from both parties, including House Majority Leader Steve Scalise, House Democratic Leader Hakeem Jeffries and Speaker Emeritus Nancy Pelosi, will also attend D-Day commemorations on Thursday.
Operation D-Day on June 6, 1944, codenamed OVERLORD, sent five naval assault divisions to the beaches of Normandy, France. The invasion included 7,000 ships and landing craft manned by more than 195,000 naval personnel. More than 130,000 troops from the United States, Great Britain and their allies landed on the shores. Many more soldiers followed, and their efforts helped lead to the defeat of Nazi German forces.
The president plans to deliver a speech from the cliffs of Point du Hoc in Normandy on Friday that will highlight the men who scaled those cliffs, democracy and the “dangers of isolationism”, the adviser to homeland security Jake Sullivan. In his speech, the president will draw a line from World War II to the formation of NATO to today, as war comes back to haunt Europe, Sullivan said.
On Saturday, the festivities will continue as Mr. Biden takes part in a parade to the Elysee Palace. And on Sunday, Mr. Biden will lay a wreath at the Aisne-Marne American Cemetery, where World War I veterans are buried.
AP
Among the allies Mr Biden will meet in France is Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, as Ukraine continues to come under attack from Russia.
The president is expected to have a “wide-ranging conversation” with Macron on a range of issues, including the Middle East, Ukraine, the Indo-Pacific, technology and clean energy, Sullivan said. Mr Macron and Mr Biden are scheduled to make a joint press appearance on Saturday, with Mr Macron hosting a state dinner for the president and first lady Jill Biden on Saturday.
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In 2018, then-President Donald Trump chose not to travel to Normandy to mark the D-Day anniversary while in Paris, citing bad weather, a move that drew intense criticism.
Kristin Brown contributed to this report
