U.S. President Joe Biden marked the 80th anniversary of D-Day on June 6 by saying that "we will not walk away" from the defense of Ukraine and allow Russia to threaten more of Europe.
Biden Calls For Solidarity With Ukraine At D-Day Commemorations
President Joe Biden reaffirmed the United States' commitment to defending Ukraine in a speech marking the 80th anniversary of D-Day at the Normandy American Cemetery and Memorial in Colleville-sur-Mer, France, on June 6.
"To surrender to bullies, to bow down to dictators, is simply unthinkable," he said against a backdrop of World War II veterans. "If we were to do that, it means we'd be forgetting what happened here on these hallowed beaches."
Brigitte Macron (left to right), French President Emmanuel Macron, U.S. President Joe Biden, and first lady Jill Biden walk on stage during ceremonies to mark the 1944 Allied landings that contributed to the defeat of Nazi Germany.
Biden's comment about bullies was a reference to Russian President Vladimir Putin, who ordered the full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022.
"Ukraine’s neighbors will be threatened" and "all of Europe will be threatened" if the world walks away from Ukraine, Biden said.
Joe Biden salutes a World War II veteran as Jill Biden looks on.
"We must remember that the fact that they were heroes here that day does not absolve us of what we have to do today. Democracy is never guaranteed. Every generation must preserve it, defend it and fight for it. That’s the test of the ages," Biden said in his remarks.
Biden gestures toward a World War II veteran who took part in the storming of Normandy's beaches on June 6, 1944.
D-Day was the largest amphibious assault in history, and Biden called it a "powerful illustration of how alliances, real alliances make us stronger." He said that was “a lesson that I pray we Americans never forget."
Nearly 160,000 Allied troops came ashore on five code-named beaches: Utah, Omaha, Gold, Juno, and Sword, resulting in thousands of casualties from German coastal defenses. Few participants of the invasion remain alive today.
Biden meets with another veteran during the ceremony.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy arrives with his wife, Olena, at the international commemorative ceremony at Omaha Beach.
Zelenskiy -- who was invited by Macron -- will meet with Western leaders during the D-Day commemorations in hopes of securing more Western aid as his country faces a new offensive in the east.
The Bidens visit graves at the Normandy American Cemetery after a ceremony to mark the 80th anniversary of D-Day.