Russia but not Putin invited to D-Day anniversary in France
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Russia but not President Vladimir Putin will be invited to the French ceremony in June to mark 80 years since the D-Day landings during World War II, organizers said Tuesday, April 16.
“In view of the circumstances, President Putin will not be invited,” the Liberation Mission organizing committee said, referring to Russia’s “war of aggression” in Ukraine. “Russia will however be invited… to honor the importance of the commitment and sacrifices of the Soviet people, as well as its contribution to the 1945 victory.”
No other details were provided. A representative of the Russian embassy in Paris said the mission would not comment at this internship. There was no reaction from the Kremlin.
The announcement comes after the French authorities reached out to Russia in the aftermath of a recent Moscow attack claimed by Islamic State group, saying France was ready to step up exchanges with Moscow with the aim of fighting “terrorism.”
Some in France criticized President Emmanuel Macron’s government over the move, saying the Kremlin was beyond any discussion as Moscow’s invasion of Ukraine stretches into its third year. Macron has not ruled out sending ground troops to Ukraine to buttress Kyiv.
Putin attended the 70th anniversary of the landings in June 2014, despite the annexation of Crimea just months earlier. Putin and Ukraine’s then-president Petro Poroshenko put on the sidelines of the ceremony after Moscow backed a pro-Russian insurgency in eastern Ukraine.
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