Biden and Macron to discuss Ukraine support during state visit

Presidents of France and the United States, Emmanuel Macron and Joe Biden, will meet on 8 June during Biden's visit to France. Their discussions will include support for Ukraine, the Élysée Palace said on Thursday. The visit of Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy will conclude a day earlier.

Earlier, on 6 June, President Biden will participate in the celebrations in France commemorating the 80th anniversary of the Allied landings in Normandy.

Both presidents will discuss "the need for unwavering, 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 Germany’s occupation, said Macron's office.

During the visit to France, U.S. President Joe Biden will participate in the 80th-anniversary celebrations of the Allied landings in Normandy, deliver a speech on the defence of democracy, and discuss global and military cooperation issues with President Emmanuel Macron, the White House said.

As White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre stated in a release, Biden will depart for France on 5 June and participate in the ceremonies commemorating the Allied forces landing on Normandy the next day. On 7 June, at the site of the battle by American soldiers at Pointe du Hoc, he will deliver a speech on defending freedom and democracy. On 8 June, Macron will receive him for a state visit to Paris, where he will discuss "a wide range of global challenges and bilateral issues", including defence cooperation.

The White House has yet to announce further travel plans for the President in Europe, who is also set to participate in the G7 leaders' summit in Apulia, Italy, from 13 to 15 June. It is not yet known whether Biden will also attend the peace summit on the war in Ukraine that is being organised in Switzerland.

Next week, the main ceremonies in Normandy will be attended by 25 heads of state and government, as well as dozens of World War II veterans, to honour nearly 160,000 soldiers from the United Kingdom, the United States, Canada, and other countries who landed on 6 June 1944.

According to "Le Monde" on Thursday, the French authorities are seeking to create a coalition of European countries willing to train Ukrainian soldiers. This involves several hundred French and European instructors. It was noted that the matter had not been finalised.

"Nothing has been finalised yet, but sending French and European instructors to Ukraine could be weeks or even days," the newspaper reported. Citing its sources, it reports that the French authorities want to form a coalition of countries that would like to train Ukrainian forces on-site.

According to these reports, it involves several hundred specialists from several countries. France, in particular, would help to form a new motorised brigade.

As "Le Monde" reports, consultations on this matter should accelerate in the coming days to potentially announce a decision during Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy's visit to France on 6 and 7 June. Zelenskyy is expected to arrive for the 80th anniversary celebrations of the Allied landings in Normandy. According to the newspaper, Macron "could unveil the outlines of such an initiative at that time."