PARIS (AP) — French President Emmanuel Macron’s office said Thursday that U.S. President Joe Biden will make his first state visit to France next week after participating 80th anniversary of D-Day celebrations in Normandy.
Macron will host Biden and his wife Jill on June 8, the statement said.
Both presidents will discuss “the need for unwavering, long-term support for Ukraine” at a time when war has returned to Europe, 80 years later the landings that led to the liberation of France and the continent from Nazi Germany’s occupation, Macron’s office said.
Next week in Normandy, massive celebrations will attract 25 heads of state and government, along with dozens of Veterans of the Second World Warto honor the nearly 160,000 soldiers from Great Britain, the United States, Canada and other nations who landed on June 6, 1944.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy is among those expected to attend.
Biden’s state visit will allow for “close coordination” between France and the US on global crises ahead of international events, including the Group of Seven major economies summit next month in Italy and the NATO summit in Washington in July .
Discussions will also include climate-related issues and will focus on strengthening bilateral cooperation, particularly in the economic, space and nuclear domains, the statement said.
Macron and his wife Brigitte paid a state visit to the US in December 2022.
