President Biden will make his first state visit to France next week upon marking the 80th anniversary of the D-Day landings with remarks, the White House and French President Emmanuel Macron’s office announced Thursday.
Mr. Macron will host Mr. Biden and first lady Jill Biden on June 8, the statement said. During the visit, the two leaders will discuss the need for “unwavering, long-term support for Ukraine,” at a time when war has returned to Europe.
Separately, the White House announced Mr. Biden will travel to Normandy on June 5 and give remarks on June 6, the date of the 1944 Allied invasion of Nazi-occupied France. He will participate in several events marking the anniversary, including greeting American veterans and their family members to honor those who landed at Utah and Omaha beaches in the north of France in 1944.
On June 7, Mr. Biden will speak exactly where President Ronald Reagan gave his “Boys of Pointe du Hoc” speech in 1984.
Pointe du Hoc is a cliff overlooking the beaches where Americans came ashore and took heavy fire from German machine-gun bunkers. The U.S. soldiers overcame the deadly assault from on high and captured Pointe du Hoc after scaling the cliffs.
Next week’s events in Normandy are expected to draw visits from 25 heads of state, including Britain’s King Charles and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy.
The June 6 landings involved more than 160,000 troops, almost all from the U.S., the U.K. and Canada. Forces from several other countries came ashore later during the battle for Normandy.
In 2022, the Bidens welcomed Mr. Macron and his wife Brigitte to a state visit at the White House.
• Jeff Mordock can be reached at jmordock@washingtontimes.com.
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