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Secretary of State Antony Blinken marked the anniversary of D-Day on Thursday by drawing a comparison between the historic offensive and the current conflict in Ukraine.
Speaking on MSNBC’s Morning Joe from Normandy, France, Blinken highlighted the significance of the Allied invasion, where U.S. and British troops landed on Normandy’s beaches by air and sea to begin the liberation of France from German occupation.
“You know there’s a really powerful parallel too between what we’re commemorating today and what we’re doing now,” Blinken said. “Back then, it wasn’t just the United States. Here in Normandy, 12 countries came together, 160,000 men coming to this beach, coming to start the final fight that ultimately, 11 months later, led to victory in World War II. In Ukraine, we have more than 50 countries standing up, standing together, making sure that Ukraine has what it needs to defend itself and to push back this aggression. And that’s the power of our alliances. And that’s the biggest difference maker we have in the world.”
In April, Congress passed, and President Joe Biden signed the Ukraine Security Supplemental Appropriations Act, allocating $60.84 billion for the war against Russia. Meanwhile, the United Kingdom sanctioned several Russian oligarchs and seized their assets.
Three successive prime ministers have approved provisions of weapons, intelligence, and economic aid to Ukraine. Blinken noted that other countries outside the historic alliance lack similar international support.
“Our adversaries, our competitors, they don’t have the same kind of voluntary alliances,” Blinken said. “Yes, sometimes they coerce countries into helping them or maybe they pay them off. Here, we have country after country that volunteers to stand together, stand together in defense of principles that we share and know need defending. We’re seeing that in Ukraine. We saw that 80 years ago here in Normandy.”
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky announced two weeks ago that he still has “combat control” of the Kharkiv region despite Russian troops invading earlier this month. Kharkiv, Ukraine’s second-largest city, saw about 11,000 people evacuate from the border nearest Russia into the city after troops entered the town of Vovchansk, approximately 12 miles away.
