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 attending the 80th anniversary commemorations of D-Day in Normandy.
Macron will receive Biden and his wife Jill on June 8, the statement said.
Both presidents will discuss “the need for steadfast, long-term support for Ukraine” at a time when war has returned to Europe, 80 years after the landings that led to the liberation of France and the continent from Nazi occupation. Germany, Macron’s office said. .
Next week in Normandy, 25 heads of state and government, along with dozens of World War II veterans, will hold major commemorations to honor the nearly 160,000 troops from Britain, the United States, Canada and other countries who landed on June 6, 1944.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy is among those expected to attend.
Biden’s state visit will allow “close coordination” between France and the US on world crises ahead of international events, including the Group of Seven major economies summit in Italy next month and the NATO summit in Washington in July.
The discussions will also include climate-related issues and focus on strengthening bilateral cooperation, especially in economic, space and nuclear fields, the statement said.
Macron and his wife Brigitte went on a state visit to the US in December 2022.
