U.S., NATO, 50-strong coalition stand with Ukraine - Biden
U.S. President Joe Biden spoke at the Franco-American ceremony dedicated to the 80th anniversary of allied landing in Normandy, an Ukrinform correspondent reports.
“The United States, NATO, and a coalition of more than 50 countries are standing strong with Ukraine. We will not walk away,” said Biden.
"They (Ukrainians - ed.) are suffering great losses but never backing down,” Biden said, adding that they have already caused huge losses to Russian aggressors.
According to the U.S. leader, autocrats around the world are closely watching to see if the West lets illegal aggression go unchecked.
"Cannot let that happen. To surrender to bullies, to bow down to dictators is simply unthinkable," Biden emphasized.
The U.S. president emphasized that democracy is never guaranteed and freedom is never free, so every generation must defend and fight for it. He drew parallels with the events of 80 years ago.
“In their generation, in their hour of trial, the allied forces on D-Day did their duty. Now the question for us is, in our hour of trial, will we do ours? We're living in a time when democracy is more at risk across the world than at any point since the end of World War II,” said Joe Biden.
As Ukrinform reported earlier, King Charles III and Emmanuel Macron opened the ceremonies marking the 80th the anniversary of allied landing in Normandy. These ceremonies are a preamble to the largest, international event, which will launch at noon on Omaha Beach in Saint-Laurent-sur-Mer. About 4,500 people will gather at the location, including 200 veterans. It will also be attended by about 20 foreign leaders, including Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky.
