It seems that tensions between Western countries and Russia will not calm down anytime soon, especially amidst the changing circumstances in Ukraine. French organizers have invited Russian representatives to attend a ceremony commemorating the 80th anniversary of the Normandy landings during World War II. Numerous world leaders, including U.S. President Joe Biden, are on the guest list for the celebration scheduled for early June. However, the event organizers have excluded Russian President Vladimir Putin, citing what they described as his "aggressive war" in Ukraine. They stated, "Given the circumstances, President Putin will not be invited to participate in the commemoration of the Normandy landings."
Nevertheless, a Russian delegation has been invited, although the organizers did not specify who exactly would be among the Russian invitees, according to Politico. The ceremony is set to honor "those who endured, those who suffered, and those who fought and liberated," as per the organizers. It is noteworthy that in June 1944, Allied forces stormed the beaches controlled by Germany in Normandy at the beginning of the land invasion of mainland Europe, which ended with the defeat of the Nazis in 1945. The Soviet Union fought Adolf Hitler's forces on the Eastern Front for years, gradually pushing its troops into the region.
This is not the first time Putin has been ignored due to a similar event, as he was not invited to the 75th anniversary of the D-Day landings in 2019. Attendees at that time included figures such as Theresa May, Queen Elizabeth II, Prince Charles, Angela Merkel, and Donald Trump. At that time, Putin announced that he did not care. However, the Russian president was invited to the 70th-anniversary celebration of D-Day in 2014, despite having annexed the Ukrainian Crimean Peninsula a few months earlier.
Former French President François Hollande, who extended the invitation to Putin in 2014, stated, "We can have disagreements with Vladimir Putin, but I do not forget and will never forget that the Russian people sacrificed millions of lives during World War II." France has long invited the countries whose units landed in Normandy to participate in the ceremony. On Tuesday, the organizers confirmed that the invitation has also been extended to the Russian Federation in the past.
