Biden aims to deepen transatlantic ties with trip to France for D-Day, state visit amid Ukraine crisis

Paris
CNN
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US President Joe Biden landed in Paris on Wednesday for a trip marking the 80th anniversary of D-Day and for a state visit hosted by French President Emmanuel Macron.

But the task ahead will be far more ambitious, as Biden seeks to deepen ties with transatlantic allies as Europe faces a reinvigorated Russia in Ukraine, the looming threat from China and the risk posed by elections which could upset the current geopolitical order.

Biden “truly believes we are at an inflection point in history,” said John Kirby, a National Security Council spokesman. “It has to do with how geopolitics are evolving, how challenges are presented to us all over the world.”

In Normandy, Biden and other Western leaders will recount a particular challenge faced by Allied forces on June 6, 1944 – the largest maritime military invasion in history – which claimed more than 10,000 lives and became a moment pivotal point in the war against Nazi Germany. This year’s anniversary is likely the last major commemoration at which D-Day veterans, now approaching the century mark, are present to witness.

From Pointe-du-Hoc, which separates the beaches of Omaha and Utah where American troops landed, Biden will deliver a speech on Friday on the power of democracy, drawing on the visceral imagery of that day to talk about the men who gave their lives in pursuit of it. of democracy.

“Making clear what you stand for and what you oppose is important today,” Kirby said, recognizing the importance of Europe strengthening U.S. leadership. Biden “recognizes that as powerful as we are and as good as we can do, we need help.”

The president arrived in France on Wednesday morning and will travel to Normandy on Thursday to participate in ceremonies marking the anniversary of the landing. After Friday’s speech at Pointe-du-Hoc – a place famous in American military history for the Army Rangers’ heroic climb to its 100-foot cliffs where they were able to neutralize German cannons firing on the beach – Biden is set to be celebrated with a state visit from French President Emmanuel Macron, returning the favor Biden extended to the French leader in 2022.

The ceremonial visit to Normandy and subsequent state visit are now likely to come under closer scrutiny after the Wall Street Journal published an article behind closed doors questioning the president’s mental acuity. The article, published just after Air Force One took off for France, once again brought Biden’s age to the forefront of the political conversation ahead of a grueling few weeks of travel that includes the trip to France, a return to Washington, the Group of 7. summit in Italy and a fundraiser on June 15 in Los Angeles. The White House criticized the Journal’s report.

“Congressional Republicans, foreign leaders, and nonpartisan national security experts have made clear in their own words that President Biden is a wise and effective leader with a long record of legislative accomplishments,” said White House spokesman Andrew Bates. “Today, in 2024, House Republicans are making false statements as a political tactic that flatly contradict previous statements made by themselves and their colleagues. »

The Journal article was based on interviews with more than 45 people – Democrats and Republicans – and included administration officials who defended the president’s performance. Most of those criticizing Biden in the report were Republicans, the Journal said, although some Democrats acknowledged that Biden was showing signs of his age.

The France visit aims to bring Biden closer to one of his key allies on the world stage. Macron was one of the main leaders of the European response to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. France doubled its defense budget, announced it would exceed the 2% defense spending threshold set by NATO and restarted domestic production of essential military inputs. In April, Macron visited a Eurenco factory that would make gunpowder after years of outsourcing production.

“It is today that the question of peace and war on our continent finds an answer, just like that of our capacity or our inability to ensure our own security,” Macron said in a recent speech.

Biden is expected to meet with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky while they are in Normandy and again on the sidelines of the G7 in Italy next week, White House national security adviser Jake Sullivan said.

The visit comes at a critical time in Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, which has begun using Western weapons to strike targets in Russia for the first time. Ukraine had been begging Washington for months to allow it to strike targets on Russian soil with American weapons, as Moscow launched a brutal air and ground attack on Kharkiv, knowing that its troops could withdraw to Russian soil to regroup and collect their weapons. the depots could not be targeted by Western weapons.

Biden quietly gave Ukraine permission to use these weapons; Macron has been less subtle in his support for the measure.

“Ukrainian soil is under attack from bases in Russia. So how do we explain to the Ukrainians that we are going to have to protect these towns and virtually everything that we see around Kharkiv now, if we tell them that they are not allowed to reach the point where the missiles are being fired from?” Marcon said said during a visit to Schloss Meseberg in Brandenburg, Germany, last week.

“We think we should allow them to neutralize the military sites from which the missiles are fired and, basically, the military sites from which Ukraine is attacked,” Macron continued.

The French leader is among the most vocal supporters of the Ukrainian cause in Europe, refusing to rule out sending French military trainers to Ukraine to help kyiv in its fight.

But ultimately, it is the United States that foots much of Ukraine’s defense bill.

The United States has sent $175 billion to Ukraine since Russia’s invasion in 2022 — eclipsing the current $171 billion the United States has sent to 16 European countries to rebuild after World War II.

In contrast, European Union member states together sent Ukraine $53 billion in direct financial aid and $35 billion in military aid.

The World Bank estimates that rebuilding Ukraine would cost more than $500 billion. And the war is not over yet.

Finding the funds to finance this capacity could prove difficult. European Union countries systematically spend more than they earn in tax revenue, and governments borrow money to cover these costs. While the United States has higher deficits and overall debt levels, its economy and population are growing faster.

Macron nevertheless promised Zelensky continued support, pledging more military aid last month “in the days and weeks to come.”

CNN’s Jessie Gretener, Mariya Knight and Joseph Ataman contributed to this report.