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OMAHA BEACH, France — The spirit of D-Day lives on in the battlefields of Ukraine was the message world leaders delivered Thursday on the 80th anniversary of the Normandy landings, a pivotal moment in World War II.
Both U.S. President Joe Biden and French President Emmanuel Macron honored the soldiers who fought in the largest seaborne invasion in history and drew parallels during their speeches between the fight against World War II totalitarianism and Ukraine’s fight against Russia’s aggression.
“With the return of war on European soil … and in the face of those who want to change borders, let us be worthy of those who landed here,” said Macron, who gave a speech at the international commemoration at Omaha Beach, which gathered over a dozen heads of state and government. “Your presence here Volodymyr Zelenskyy expresses all of that,” he continued.
As Western leaders assembled in Normandy to celebrate victory over totalitarian forces, the Continent is experiencing the deadliest fighting it has seen since World War II, with the war in Ukraine now well into its second year.
“We are there and we will not fail you,” Macron said with reference to military support for Ukraine.
Crowds broke out into spontaneous applause as the ceremony commenced with dozens of veterans, many of them over 100 and wheelchair users, entering and taking their place around the main stage. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy was greeted with a rousing round of applause and cheers from the audience.
Close to 5,000 guests gathered under a clear blue sky, watched film extracts of the fighting on D-Day and listened to excerpts of letters from soldiers. Parachutists landed on the sand behind the stage and the ceremony, which lasted for several hours, culminated with an international flyover.
German Chancellor Olaf Scholz, Canada’s Justin Trudeau, Britain’s Prince William and Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte were among those who attended the ceremony on Omaha Beach, where some of the fiercest fighting took place 80 years ago.
The U.S. president is on a five-day trip to France, which will include a state visit with the French president on Saturday. Biden is expected to hold talks with Zelenskyy on the sidelines of the commemorations.
The French presidency also released a “Normandy Declaration,” signed by 19 countries, which pledged “unwavering support” for Ukraine “for as long as it takes to restore peace in Europe.”
Earlier in the day, Biden, who is seeking reelection in November, warned that democracy was more at threat today than at any point since the end of World War II. Speaking at the U.S. ceremony at Colleville-sur-Mer, Biden delivered a rousing defense of NATO and U.S. interventionism, and pledged enduring support for Ukraine.
“We will not walk away because if we do, Ukraine will be subjugated and it will not end there,” he said.
“We cannot let what happened here be lost in the silence of the years to come,” Biden said. “The fact that they were heroes here that day does not absolve us of what we have to do today.”
Biden’s speech also touted the expansion of NATO, and America’s enduring place in the world, setting himself in clear contrast to his Republican rival Donald Trump.
Eli Stokols contributed reporting.
