Parallels between WW2 and Ukraine, Biden says in D-Day address

Throughout the speech, Mr Biden frequently drew connections between the fight against fascism in World War Two and the ongoing war in Ukraine.

Before a field dotted with the small, white tombstones of the dead US servicemembers, the president warned “the autocrats of the world are watching closely to see what happens in Ukraine”.

He vowed the US would “not walk away” from the conflict, claiming “if we do Ukraine will be subjugated, and it will not end there. Ukraine’s neighbours will be threatened, all of Europe will be threatened.”

And he launched a direct attack on Russian President Vladimir Putin, saying “Ukraine has been invaded by a tyrant,” adding Kyiv’s forces were “fighting with extraordinary courage, suffering great losses but never backing down”.

The president sought to rally Western democracies, noting autocracy across the world was on the rise and freedom was increasingly under threat.

He hailed the efforts of the “noble band of brothers” who participated in the D-Day landings, saying “the men who fought here were heroes”.

“They knew – beyond any doubt – there are things that are worth fighting and dying for. Freedom is worth it. Democracy is worth it. America is worth it. The world is worth it.”

Accompanied to the ceremony by President Macron, Mr Biden emphasised the importance of the alliance between “freedom-loving nations” across the world.

Emphasising the value of the Nato alliance, Mr Biden said “what the allies did here 80 years ago far surpassed anything we could have done on our own”, adding it was “a lesson that I pray we Americans never forget”.

The comments come amid increasing isolationism in the Republican Party. Many members of the party have grown increasingly sceptical of sending military aid to Ukraine.

President Biden has blamed the party’s delay in approving fresh aid for some of Ukraine’s battlefield losses in recent months.

He hit out at growing isolationism in the US, saying the “price of unchecked tyranny is the blood of the young and the brave”.

In an earlier interview with ABC News, Mr Biden defended his decision to allow Ukraine to use US weapons to strike directly on Russia. He emphasised the strikes would be limited to areas around the border and would not extend to strikes on the capital, Moscow.

Present at the ceremony in the Normandy sunshine were a number of US soldiers who fought in the landings, which remain the largest seaborne invasion in history.

Over 150,000 US, British, Canadian and French troops landed on the five beaches on 6 June 1944.

Several of the men, identified by baseball caps identifying their service, were awarded the legion d’honneur – France’s highest civilian honour – by Mr Macron.