On 6 June, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy is expected to attend events in France to mark the anniversary of the Normandy landings, an Allied military operation that marked a turning point in World War II. France Bleu writes about the preparations for the visit.
In total, the French president expects 25 foreign leaders to visit, including US President Joe Biden. King Charles, accompanied by Queen Camilla, will also be in France that day.
Russian leader Vladimir Putin will not be there. The Liberation Mission, the NGO responsible for organising the D-Day commemorations, announced on 16 April that "Russia will be invited to the 80th anniversary celebrations, but not its president", due to the war of aggression in Ukraine.
Vladimir Putin was invited to celebrate his 70th birthday in June 2014, despite the annexation of Crimea three months earlier. On the other hand, the Russian president was not invited to the 75th anniversary of D-Day in 2019, when the situation in eastern Ukraine was tense. ,