Biden calls for support of Ukraine in D-Day anniversary speech

U.S. President Joe Biden on Thursday told listeners at the Normandy American Cemetery in Colleville-sur-Mer, France, that the bodies buried in that cemetery demonstrated that freedom is not free. Some veterans who participated in Operation Overlord, when Allied forces landed on the beaches of Normandy 80 years ago, attended Biden’s speech. Biden praised the courage of those soldiers and others who did their part to help turn the tide of World War II and ultimately topple the Third Reich.

How did Ukraine make its way into the picture? Biden compared Ukraine’s current war against Russia to the Allies’ fight against Nazi Germany. He said Ukraine was also facing a military invasion led by a tyrant bent on domination. He praised the ways he said Ukrainian forces have stood up in the face of Russian aggression. He added that the Kremlin had lost roughly 350,000 soldiers, and nearly 1 million people had fled Russia since the start of the war because they could no longer see a future in Russia.

Dig deeper: Read John D. Wilsey’s column in WORLD Opinions looking back on Operation Overlord 80 years later.