Biden to embark on first state visit to France post D-Day ceremonies

French President Emmanuel Macron's office announced that U.S. President Joe Biden will visit France next week after attending D-Day 80th anniversary events in Normandy. Macron will welcome Biden and his wife Jill on June 8. The two leaders will talk about the importance of providing continuous, long-lasting support to Ukraine during a time when war has come back to Europe, 80 years after the events that freed France and the continent from Nazi Germany's control. In Normandy, a significant ceremony will take place next week, bringing together 25 heads of state and government, along with many World War II veterans, to pay tribute to 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 expected to be present at the event. Biden's visit to France will enable close cooperation between the U.S. and France on global issues before important upcoming international meetings, such as the Group of Seven summit in Italy next month and the NATO summit in Washington in July. The discussions will cover climate-related matters and will aim to strengthen collaboration between the two countries, especially in economic, space, and nuclear areas. Macron and his wife Brigitte visited the U.S. on a state visit in December 2022.