Last day of commemorations. Emmanuel Macron delivers a speech, Friday June 7, in Bayeux (Calvados), on the occasion of the 80th anniversary of the Landing. It was here that General de Gaulle spoke shortly after the operation, on June 14, 1944, then presented his presidential project for France in June 1946. His American counterpart, Joe Biden, must speak at the forefront du Hoc, which had been stormed by American soldiers during one of the fiercest battles of the D-Day landings. Follow our live stream.
Volodymyr Zelensky greets the D-Day fighters. “We are proud to be the heirs of fighters (…) eager to make freedom triumph”, declared the Ukrainian president in the National Assembly on Friday morning. These battles “gave Europe back its humanity”, said Volodymyr Zelensky, who participated in ceremonies Thursday in Normandy to celebrate the victory over Nazism, while war rages again in Europe. Volodymyr Zelensky continues speaking engagements and meetings in Paris.
Rishi Sunak apologizes for leaving before the end of the ceremonies. The British Prime Minister assured Friday that he had “the honor of representing the UK at several events in Portsmouth and France over the past two days and meeting those who fought so bravely”. “On reflection, it was a mistake not to stay longer in France”he added on the social network
Emmanuel Macron justifies Russia’s absence from the commemorations. “A breakup happened in 2022”, with the Russian offensive in Ukraine, explained the head of state to justify the withdrawal of any invitation to Russia to the ceremonies on Thursday. Ten years earlier, Russian President Vladimir Putin took part in ceremonies in memory of D-Day. From, “President Putin has decided to launch a full war”he insisted. “In doing so, Russia has somewhat betrayed the message of the Liberation and the Landings.”