World leaders and veterans star in Normandy Landings anniversary
Biden, Macron, King Charles III and Justin Trudeau led the delegations of their respective countries in celebrations in which Russia was the great absentee.
(Saul Loeb/AFP)
Presidents, prime ministers, and monarchs of the countries that took part in the Normandy Landings in 1944 commemorated the 80th anniversary of the event on the beaches of France. The leaders drew parallels between the importance of this milestone in defeating Hitler's Nazi army and the current global situation, citing Vladimir Putin and the war in Ukraine as a prime example. Notably, the Russians were absent from the tribute—in which they did participate 10 years ago—since French President Emmanuel Macron did not invite representatives of the Moscow regime. About 200 of the last surviving veterans who took part in the combat also attended the events.
The leaders of the then enemy powers, German Chancellor Olaf Scholz and Italian President Sergio Mattarella, also received an invitation. In addition, the Ukrainian, Volodimir Zelensky, also attended the festivities on Omaha Beach.
According to AFP, French President Emmanuel Macron, who warned in April that Europe "can die" from the Russian offensive and did not rule out sending allied troops to Ukraine in January, took advantage of the D-Day ceremonies to draw a parallel with the current ukrainian conflict.
"Let us pray that this sacrifice is not repeated"
The king and Charles III, whose visit to Normandy represents his first trip abroad since his cancer diagnosis, asked that such an event never be repeated: "Let us pray that this sacrifice is never repeated."
"If for several decades the memory of the errors of the past sustained the firm will to do everything possible to prevent the outbreak of a new open world conflict," this is no longer the case, Pope Francis added in a letter released on Wednesday.
President Biden met with the great protagonists of history, the veterans who participated in the landing and are still alive. This year their age became especially relevant. since the majority of survivors are close to or over 100 years old, which highlights the importance of honoring them while we can. According to CNN, the leader of the US Executive chatted casually with the attendees, and even joked about his age while congratulating them.
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