Russia will be invited to send representatives to the ceremony marking the 80th anniversary of D-Day, but it will not include President Vladimir Putin because of the “war of aggression in Ukraine”, the organizers of the traditional event announced today.
Source: Profimedia/Stanislav Krasilnikov / Sputnik
“Given the circumstances, President Putin will not be invited to participate in the commemoration of the 80th anniversary of the Allied landings in Normandy”it is stated in the announcement, reports Politiko.
The ceremony will honor those who stood up, who suffered, who fought and liberated, the organizers added.
This is not the first time that Putin has been omitted from the list of guests, as in 2019 he was not even invited to the 75th anniversary of D-Day, which was attended by Donald Trump, Angela Merkel, Theresa May and Britain’s Queen Elizabeth, among others.
However, in 2014, the Russian president was invited to the 70th anniversary of D-Day, despite the annexation of Crimea a few months earlier.
“We can have disagreements with Putin, but I don’t forget and I will never forget that the Russian people gave millions of lives during the Second World War,” said then French President François Hollande.
(FoNet)