80 years since the Normandy landings: world leaders celebrate D-Day anniversary
Kyiv • UNN
At a ceremony in France, world leaders celebrated the 80th anniversary of the Allied landings in Normandy during World War II. Politicians called for the protection of freedom and democracy and promised support for Ukraine.
The heads of state paid tribute to the Allied landings in Normandy during World War II during a meeting on the northern coast of France. This is reported by UNN with reference to Reuters and Deutsche Welle.
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In France, a joint ceremony was held to honor the members of the anti-Hitler coalition troops who landed in Normandy 80 years ago, on June 6, 1944. Together with French President Emmanuel Macron, numerous heads of state and government, including US President Joe Biden, Federal Chancellor Olaf Scholz, and British King Charles III, attended the Normandy American Cemetery today.
Biden made an impassioned plea for the defence of freedom and democracy, calling on Western states to support Ukraine, and reminded of the importance of not giving in to Russian tyranny. The US president said that it was ‘simply unthinkable’ to surrender to Russian aggression and pledged not to weaken support for Ukraine.
Biden praised NATO as "the largest military alliance in the history of the world." "NATO is more united than ever and even more ready to maintain peace," he said.
King Charles III of Great Britain, honoring the memory of the alliance soldiers who fought on D - Day, stated the following::
"Many of them never returned home. They died on the beaches of the landing on D - Day and in many subsequent battles," the 75 - year-old monarch said at a celebration on the occasion of the 80th anniversary in Ver-sur-Mer, in the French city of Ver-sur-Mer.
The king of Great Britain said that the dead and all those who served at that time will be remembered with deep gratitude.
"We remember a lesson that has come to us over and over again for decades: free nations must unite to resist tyranny," said Charles, who spoke French and English.
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On June 6, 1944, Allied soldiers landed on the beaches of Normandy. The day of the landing marked the beginning of the liberation of France and Western Europe from Nazi rule (Operation Overlord). But it also symbolized inhuman bloodshed, with tens of thousands dead and wounded. The Allied forces at that time consisted mainly of Americans, British, Canadians, poles and French. About 3,100 landing ships with more than 150,000 soldiers made their way to northern France.
The celebration takes place on the beach in Saint-Laurent-sur-Mer on Omaha Beach, one of the sections of the beach where the Allies arrived from the UK.
Several elderly veterans also came to Normandy for the celebrations. French President Emmanuel Macron awarded eleven elderly American veterans the legion of Honor for their service at the time.
"You left everything and took all the risks for the sake of our independence, for the sake of our freedom. We will not forget this," Macron said at the American military cemetery in Collyville in the presence of US President Biden and about 170 veterans.
