Biden thanks Ukrainians for courage and promises further support during a visit to Normandy

US President Joe Biden has recalled the importance of protecting democracy and a full-scale Russian invasion of Ukraine in a speech on the occasion of the 80th anniversary of the Allied landing in Normandy in World War II.

As reported by CNN, speaking in Normandy on the occasion of the 80th anniversary of the Allied landing in Normandy, Biden drew direct parallels between Nazi Germany and the threats facing Western democracies today, including in Eastern Europe.

"We know the dark forces that these heroes fought against 80 years ago. They never fade. Aggression and greed, the desire to dominate and control, to change borders by force.  These are perennial. And the struggle between a dictatorship and freedom is unending," Joe Biden said.

The US president separately mentioned Ukraine, which was "invaded by a tyrant bent on domination". "Ukrainians are fighting with extraordinary courage, suffering great losses but never backing down," Joe Biden stressed.

Biden stressed that a coalition of more than fifty countries – referring to the Ramstein format – as well as the United States and NATO will continue to support Ukraine.

"Because if we do [retreat – ed.], Ukraine will be subjugated, and it will not end there. Ukraine's neighbours will be threatened. All of Europe will be threatened. And make no mistake, the autocrats of the world are watching closely to see what happens in Ukraine," Biden warned.

Biden has arrived on a visit to France on the occasion of the day Allied powers stormed the beaches of Normandy in 1944, triggering a chain of events that led to the fall of Nazi Germany and the end of World War II.

Later, he plans to meet with the President of Ukraine, Volodymyr Zelenskyy, to discuss military assistance.

On Thursday afternoon, President Zelenskyy landed at the Normandy airport in Caen, France.