D‑Day 80th Anniversary: Biden meets veterans, Macron praises American army, Zelensky advocates for unity

In the 80th anniversary of the World War 2 breakthrough event - U.S.-led allied forces' D-Day invasion of Nazi-occupied France in Normandy, heads of state arrived in France to express their gratitude for the heroism leading to the defeat of Adolf Hitler's Third Reich a year later. President Putin was not invited to the commemoration.

The official events occur at legendary Omaha Beach, and 25 heads of state, officials, and veterans were previously invited. Among them are President Biden, President Macron, and President Zelensky. King Charles III, despite being invited, will not attend the ceremony due to his health condition. President Putin, the representative of Russia, who also played a part in the Nazi defeat, was not invited and expressed his dissatisfaction.

President Biden, French President Emmanuel Macron, British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak, and Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau will commemorate the Allied forces veterans and plan a joint meeting during the weekend. Karine Jean-Pierre, White House Press Secretary, declared, "The State Visit will reflect the enduring and comprehensive relationship between the United States and France, our oldest ally, founded on shared democratic values, economic ties, and defense and security cooperation."

She added: "President Biden and President Macron will have the opportunity to discuss a wide range of global challenges and bilateral issues."

President Biden and First Lady Jill Biden met with WW2 veterans during a memorial ceremony at the Normandy American Cemetery on Thursday. They chatted with each of them and personally thanked them for their service. Later on, President Biden and French President Macron left and arrived at the official commemorating events.

President Biden also emphasized the role of collaboration and the dangers coming from isolationism in times of uncertainty and global challenges, saying, "America's unique ability to bring countries together is an undeniable source of our power. Isolationism was not the answer 80 years ago and is not the answer today." As CNN suggests, the mentioned remark is a hit at former President Trump's "America first" slogan regarding the D-Day commemoration. President commented on the Normandy landing by emphasizing the heroism of the soldiers and highlighting the importance of cooperation between allies. "What it says to me is how critical alliances are, how critical alliances are for our security," stated President Biden.

During his D-Day official speech, President Biden greeted the soldiers, saying it was "the highest honor to be able to salute you in Normandy once more. All of you. God loves you," acknowledging later non-white people and women who were part of the army and "served despite the unjust limitation on what they could do for their nation."

The British king participated in his country's Thursday morning commemoration at the British Normandy Memorial due to his health condition, which did not allow him to join the international events. King Charles was diagnosed with cancer, and due to the doctor's decision, he was allowed to participate in the national event.

King expressed his gratitude toward the soldiers in their mission, remembering the passing time and the fact that veterans are in their 90s and 100s; thus, as he mentioned, "Our ability to learn from their stories first-hand diminishes, but our obligation to remember them, what they stood for and what they achieved for us all can never diminish."

King Charles was replaced in Normandy by Prince William, who, in the speech, paid tribute to the Canadian soldiers fighting alongside the British. Prince of Wales addressed the gathered guests, paying respects to the allied forces. "Standing here today in peaceful silence, it is almost impossible to grasp the courage it would have taken to run into the fury of battle that very day," claimed Prince William, highlighting later the impact of Normandy's landing on the liberation of Europe.

French President Macron thanked the veterans and continued, "You left everything, crossed the ocean, and landed on the coast of France eight decades ago ... you left everything and risked everything for our independence, for our freedom. That we will never forget."

French Prime Minister Attal, however, attended the Canadian commemoration events. Speaking at Juno Beach, he expressed that French gratitude is "eternal" and "never will the flame of heroism weaken," underlining how his generation can enjoy living in free Europe due to the actions taken by the Allied forces during WW2. He also significantly warned, "History is a lesson for the future, and today, more than ever, we need to hear and listen as war knocks once again on Europe's doorstep."

D-Day, which occurred on June 6th, 1944, was supposed to happen a day earlier. However, General Eisenhower's decision was changed due to bad weather conditions. First, American soldiers landed in France on Omaha Beach and Utah Beach, followed minutes later by the British army landing on Sword Beach and Gold Beach alongside Canadians on Juno Beach.

The occupation of the beaches was divided into two phases: "Neptune" and "Overlord." "Neptune" planned troops traveling across the Channel to France, whereas "Overlord" was the plan for the Battle of Normandy.

Landing on the beaches was the beginning of the battle, being shot by the Nazi soldiers, who were in a better situation - not only were they prepared, but also their forces were standing higher on the surface, giving them strategically a better position. Nevertheless, the fights between Allied forces and Nazi forces lasted for about 12 weeks, resulting in surrounding Nazis in French town - Callais. As a result, French people had a chance to liberate Paris.

U.S. Department of Defense stated that out of 160.000 soldiers landing in Normandy, 9.000 were killed or injured within the first 24 hours.

Source: CNN, CBS News, NBC News