France does not invite Russia to attend World War II 'Descent Day' commemoration because of Ukraine war

The announcement was made by the Elysee Palace on May 30. Russia was not invited to the celebration because of its military campaign in Ukraine, according to Reuters.

Russian President Vladimir Putin (left) and French President Emmanuel Macron

Earlier, organizers said that Russian President Vladimir Putin would not be invited but some Russian representatives would be welcomed to recognize Moscow's sacrifice in World War II.

The celebration will take place in June and will be attended by dozens of heads of state and government , including Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky and US President Joe Biden.

More than 15,000 Allied troops landed at Normandy in western France on June 6, 1944, also known as D-Day, in the campaign that led to the liberation of Western Europe from Nazi Germany.

Soviet losses totaled more than 25 million in the Great Patriotic War. Russian officials have attended D-Day commemorations in the past. In 2014, President Putin joined the leaders of France, Germany and Ukraine in establishing the Normandy Four to resolve the conflict in eastern Ukraine.

Europe 1 recently quoted sources as saying that France planned to invite Russia to the event in Normandy, but neither the Russian embassy in Paris nor the Russian Foreign Ministry announced that they had received any invitation. Some sources told Reuters that the war in Ukraine and the discomfort of some allies about Russia's presence had caused France to change its original intention.

Source: https://thanhnien.vn/phap-khong-moi-nga-du-ky-niem-ngay-do-bo-the-chien-2-vi-chien-su-ukraine-185240531101232416.htm