White House not pleased that Russia is invited to anniversary of Normandy landings

The White House has acknowledged that France can reserve the right to invite a representative of Russia to the 80th anniversary of the Allied landings in Normandy during World War II, but does not support this decision.

Source: Politico, citing two anonymous US officials, reported by European Pravda

Details: One of the officials said that they would "defer"  to the French government, which was organising the Normandy commemorations.

"But perhaps this will remind the Russians that they actually fought real Nazis once, not imaginary ones in Ukraine," he said.

Another official explained that the White House tended to view French President Emmanuel Macron as someone who feels he could have influence on Vladimir Putin, and the US broadly accepted his diplomatic efforts in the context of the full-scale war in Ukraine.

The official added that Paris's decision to invite a Russian representative to Normandy has largely been viewed from this perspective.

Background:

Last month, it was reported that France had invited a Kremlin representative – but not Putin himself – to take part in events marking the 80th anniversary of the Allied operation. This created the possibility that the Russian official could cross paths with European leaders and Biden.

The decision sparked outrage among some European countries, given that Russia has been waging a full-scale war against Ukraine for more than two years, while the D-Day events are meant to commemorate the collective sacrifice of the Allies in World War II to preserve democracy.

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