Russian President Vladimir Putin will attend the commemoration of the 70th anniversary of the Allied landings in Normandy, the Kremlin announced today. It will be the first opportunity for the Russian president to meet directly with Western leaders since the crisis in Ukraine broke out.
Western officials are expected to attend the June 6 ceremony, including US President Barack Obama and German Chancellor Angela Merkel.
The White House announced that Obama would not meet with Putin separately, but a White House spokeswoman previously said that "the United States does not expect that France will not invite Putin to the commemoration because of what is happening in Ukraine."
German Chancellor Angela Merkel and French President Francois Hollande welcomed the news of Putin's departure to Normandy. Hollande said yesterday that Putin was welcome to the commemoration of the 70th anniversary of the Allied landings. "We can have disagreements with Vadimir Putin, but I don't forget and I will never forget that the Russian people gave millions of lives" during World War II, Hollande said.
See more:
Download the app and follow the news
FOLLOW US ON
