US President Joe Biden has drawn parallels between Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and World War Two, in a speech commemorating the 80th anniversary of the D-Day landings in Normandy, France.
Speaking just steps away from where 9,388 members of the US military who participated in the landings are buried, Mr Biden warned democracies across the globe were once again under threat, adding autocrats were closely watching the Western response to Ukraine.
The president, born in 1942, will likely be the last US leader to have been alive at the time of the operation to liberate Nazi-occupied France. A host of world leaders were present at ceremonies on Thursday, including French President Emmanuel Macron, King Charles III and Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau.
“Thank you to the Ukrainian people for their bravery. We are here and we will not weaken,” Mr Macron said, as the gathered world leaders gave Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky a standing ovation.
Russian President Vladimir Putin, who was not invited to Thursday’s commemoration ceremony, launched a full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022.
Russia was a key ally during World War Two. Its victory on the eastern front was fundamental, like the western front Allied assault that followed D-Day, in bringing Nazi Germany to its knees.
Throughout the speech, Mr Biden frequently drew connections between the fight against fascism in World War Two and the ongoing war in Ukraine.
Before a field dotted with the small, white tombstones of the dead US servicemembers, the president warned “the autocrats of the world are watching closely to see what happens in Ukraine”.
He vowed the US would “not walk away” from the conflict, claiming “if we do Ukraine will be subjugated, and it will not end there. Ukraine’s neighbours will be threatened, all of Europe will be threatened.”
And he launched a direct attack on President Putin, referring to the long-term Russian leader as a “tyrant”.
The president also sought to rally Western leaders, repeatedly highlighting the increasing threat from anti-democratic forces across the world and of freedom coming increasingly under threat.
He hailed the efforts of the “noble band of brothers” who participated in the D-Day landings, saying “the men who fought here were heroes”.
“They knew – beyond any doubt – there are things that are worth fighting and dying for. Freedom is worth it. Democracy is worth it. America is worth it. The world is worth it.”
Source BBC
