Western leaders mark ‘D-Day’
Ukrainian president joins Normandy rites
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(From L) Britain's Queen Camilla, Britain's King Charles III, France's President Emmanuel Macron and French President's wife Brigitte Macron attend the UK Ministry of Defence and the Royal British Legion’s commemorative ceremony marking the 80th anniversary of the World War II "D-Day" Allied landings in Normandy, at the World War II British Normandy Memorial near the village of Ver-sur-Mer which overlooks Gold Beach and Juno Beach in northwestern France, on June 6, 2024. The D-Day ceremonies on June 6 this year mark the 80th anniversary since the launch of 'Operation Overlord', a vast military operation by Allied forces in Normandy, which turned the tide of World War II, eventually leading to the liberation of occupied France and the end of the war against Nazi Germany.
Ludovic MARIN / POOL / AFP
OMAHA BEACH, France (AFP) — Western leaders were Thursday to remember the 1944 World War II D-Day landings in northern France to liberate Europe from Nazi occupation, mindful of the over two-year war raging again in Europe after Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
French President Emmanuel Macron will host United States leader Joe Biden, King Charles III of the United Kingdom and Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, representing the Allied powers whose troops gave their lives in the landings on the Normandy beaches on 6 June 1944.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky is joining the Western leaders and will provide a hugely symbolic backdrop to talks on how Ukraine can gain back ground after Russian advances.
No Russian official has been invited, underlining Moscow’s pariah status in the West after the invasion of Ukraine despite the decisive Soviet contribution to defeating Nazism in World War II.
The most honored guests will be the surviving veterans. Around 200 are expected, a number that is dwindling every year with most at least in their late 90s and some older than 100. This may be the final major anniversary where they are present.
