It has been 80 years since allied forces invaded the shores of Normandy. On Thursday, the site was visited by both world leaders and veterans.
Emmanuel Macron, Volodymyr Zelensky, and Joe Biden were just three of the leaders who participated in the memorial ceremonies in northwestern France. Biden emphasized the importance of democracy and international cooperation – and drew parallels to the war in Ukraine.
Several Western leaders have gathered in France to commemorate the anniversary of D-Day, but also to discuss the war in Ukraine. President Volodymyr Zelensky received standing ovations at the ceremony.
"The allies defended Europe's freedom then, and Ukrainians are doing it now. Unity prevailed then, and true unity can prevail today," wrote Zelensky on X in honor of the memorial day.
About 180 veterans who landed in the area 80 years ago also participated in the ceremony.
The 99-year-old British former soldier Joe Mines had not visited Normandy since World War II.
The 100-year-old Canadian veteran William Cameron, however, unfortunately did not make it to the memorial day. He passed away shortly before departure.
From June 6, 1944, the allied countries landed around 160,000 soldiers off the coast of Normandy to fight against Nazi Germany.
