US President hails Ukraine, NATO in D-Day commemoration in NW France

By Nur Asena Erturk

US President Joe Biden on Thursday hailed Ukraine and NATO in a D-Day commemoration in northwestern France.

D-Day and the Battle of Normandy 80 years ago were a “powerful illustration that alliances” make countries stronger, Biden told an audience of veterans, soldiers, and political delegations at the American cemetery in the French town of Colleville-sur-Mer.

“We established NATO, the greatest military alliance in the history of the world. … Today, NATO stands at 32 countries strong, and NATO is more united than ever, and even more prepared to keep the peace, deter aggression, defend freedom all around the world,” the president added.

“Isolationism was not the answer 80 years ago and is not the answer today,” he stressed, adding that the world is still going through challenges.

“The struggle between a dictatorship and freedom is unending. Here in Europe, we see one stark example. Ukraine has been invaded by a tyrant. … Ukrainians are fighting with extraordinary courage, suffering great losses, but never backing down,” Biden slammed.

The president vowed continuous support for Ukraine.

“We will not walk away. Because if we do, Ukraine will be subjugated and it will not end there. Ukraine's neighbors will be threatened. All of Europe will be threatened,” he emphasized.

Democracy nowadays is at risk, and must be defended, Biden further said.

French President Emmanuel Macron, for his part, hailed the fallen soldiers and the veterans.

“You left all behind and took all the risks, for our independence, for our freedom. This we do not forget. Thank you,” he said.

“The free world needed each one of you, and you answered it,” Macron added, and awarded the veterans the Legion of Honor, the country's highest award.

Macron earlier held a binational ceremony with King Charles III to mark the 80th anniversary of D-Day.

He will lead a third international ceremony on Omaha Beach.

- D-Day

On June 6, 1944, Allied forces stormed Omaha Beach to defeat Nazi forces who had taken hold in many towns and villages in the northern region. Some 160,000 troops in 7,000 boats landed there, as well as on the nearby beaches of Utah, Juno, Sword, and Gold, as they were dubbed in the Allies’ plans.

Known officially as the Normandy Invasion, it left 4,414 troops killed on that day, including over 2,500 Americans, and some 5,000 wounded. A total of 9,843 troops from the US, Britain, and Canada were killed in action on June 6 and in the few days thereafter.

German troops were ready for the invasion, however, with guns placed at strategic high points around the nearly 10-kilometer (6-mile) beach as the forces landed. The ocean waters, as well as the beach, were also heavily mined by the Germans.