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  • President Joe Biden and first lady Jill Biden, greet a...

    President Joe Biden and first lady Jill Biden, greet a World War II veteran during ceremonies to mark the 80th anniversary of D-Day, Thursday, June 6, 2024, in Normandy. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci)

  • President Joe Biden and Emmanuel Macron greet a World War...

    President Joe Biden and Emmanuel Macron greet a World War II veteran during ceremonies to mark the 80th anniversary of D-Day, Thursday, June 6, 2024, in Normandy. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci)

  • President Joe Biden and first lady Jill Biden walk a...

    President Joe Biden and first lady Jill Biden walk a path after stepping off Marine One as they arrive at Normandy American Cemetery, where they will attend ceremonies to mark the 80th anniversary of D-Day, Thursday, June 6, 2024, in Normandy. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci)

  • US President Joe Biden delivers a speech during a ceremony...

    US President Joe Biden delivers a speech during a ceremony at an US cemetery near Colleville-sur-Mer Normandy, Thursday, June 6, 2024. World War II veterans from across the United States as well as Britain and Canada are in Normandy this week to mark 80 years since the D-Day landings that helped lead to Hitler’s defeat. (AP Photo/Laurent Cipriani)

  • President Joe Biden greets WW II veteran Richard Stewart after...

    President Joe Biden greets WW II veteran Richard Stewart after he was awarded in the Legion of Honor by French President Emmanuel Macron, during a commemorative ceremony to mark D-Day 80th anniversary, Thursday, June 6, 2024 at the US cemetery in Colleville-sur-Mer, Normandy. Normandy is hosting various events to officially commemorate the 80th anniversary of the D-Day landings that took place on June 6, 1944. (AP Photo/Daniel Cole, Pool)

  • U.S. President Joe Biden, center second right, first lady Jill...

    U.S. President Joe Biden, center second right, first lady Jill Biden, center right, French President Emmanuel Macron, center second left, and his wife Brigitte Macron, center left, and American WWII veterans attend a ceremony to mark the 80th anniversary of D-Day at the Normandy American Cemetery in Colleville-sur-Mer, Normandy, France, Thursday, June 6, 2024. World leaders are gathered Thursday in France to mark the 80th anniversary of the D-Day landings. (AP Photo/Virginia Mayo)

  • President Joe Biden and first lady Jill Biden, greet a...

    President Joe Biden and first lady Jill Biden, greet a World War II veteran during ceremonies to mark the 80th anniversary of D-Day, Thursday, June 6, 2024, in Normandy. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci)

  • President Joe Biden and first lady Jill Biden, greet a...

    President Joe Biden and first lady Jill Biden, greet a World War II veteran during ceremonies to mark the 80th anniversary of D-Day, Thursday, June 6, 2024, in Normandy. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci)

  • President Joe Biden and first lady Jill Biden, greet a...

    President Joe Biden and first lady Jill Biden, greet a World War II veteran during ceremonies to mark the 80th anniversary of D-Day, Thursday, June 6, 2024, in Normandy. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci)

  • President Joe Biden and first lady Jill Biden, greet a...

    President Joe Biden and first lady Jill Biden, greet a World War II veteran during ceremonies to mark the 80th anniversary of D-Day, Thursday, June 6, 2024, in Normandy. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci)

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COLLEVILLE-SUR-MER, France — President Joe Biden marked the 80th anniversary of D-Day on Thursday by saying “we will not walk away” from the defense of Ukraine and allow Russia to threaten more of Europe.

“To surrender to bullies, to bow down to dictators, is simply unthinkable,” he said during a ceremony at the American cemetery in Normandy. “If we were to do that, it means we’d be forgetting what happened here on these hallowed beaches.”

D-Day was the largest amphibious assault in history, and Biden called it a “powerful illustration of how alliances, real alliances make us stronger.”

He said that was “a lesson that I pray we Americans never forget.”