On the beaches of Normandy, for the 80th anniversary of D-Day, Joe Biden remembers the sacrifice of young Americans and mentions the war in Ukraine, launching the appeal “not to abandon” other countries in the face of dictators. While Volodymyr Zelensky and his wife were welcomed with a real ovation, a very long round of applause followed at the most important ceremony of the anniversary. «Isolationism was not the answer 80 years ago and it is not the answer today. True alliances make us stronger, a lesson that I pray Americans will never forget”, said the American president in his speech in Colleville-sur-Mer, in which he recalled that Ukraine “is invaded by a tyrant and we we cannot abandon ourselves in the face of dictators, it is unimaginable.” Biden promised that under his leadership the United States “will not walk away” from Kiev, “because if they do, Ukraine will be subjugated and it will not end there.” “The neighbors will be threatened, all of Europe will be threatened,” he added, describing Vladimir Putin as a “tyrant intent on dominating.” And in an interview with ABC News the commander in chief took matters further, stating: «I have known Putin for 40 years and he has worried me for 40 years. He’s not a decent person, he’s a dictator and he’s fighting to make sure he keeps his country together while continuing to carry out this assault on Ukraine. While regarding the authorization granted to Kiev to use American weapons in Russia, Biden explained that «we are not talking about providing weapons to strike Moscow and the Kremlin. The weapons are authorized to strike near the border, not 200 miles inside Russia.” Statements that Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Mikhail Galuzin defined as “cynical and obscene”. «Any attempt to violate Russian territory», regardless of the region where it occurs, he specified, «will have an adequate response, and those who bomb us in this way will bitterly regret it».
Meanwhile, in Normandy, Biden is planning a meeting with Zelensky «to talk about the situation in Ukraine and how we can continue and deepen our support», explained White House national security advisor Jake Sullivan (the two leaders will also meet in Italy at the G7 next week). «The allies defended the freedom of Europe then, and the Ukrainians do so now. Unity prevailed then, and true unity can prevail today,” Zelensky said on what according to Kiev the current pace does not prepare enough to operate all the jets that will soon be donated to the country.
Ukraine says it has 30 pilots who can immediately begin training in the US, but the Biden administration has told Kiev that the Arizona-based program does not have the slots needed to accept more than 12 trainees at a time, according to reported by three informed sources. Two other facilities, in Denmark and Romania, have a similar problem regarding available training places.
