They said President Emmanuel Macron had given the impression of “seeing himself above the fray and that in the end he would be a sort of peace mediator” on Ukraine, which they said described as “completely inappropriate”.
A diplomat from another European country said Paris “took everyone by surprise” with Russia’s invitation. The same diplomat expressed frustration with the lack of communication since the announcement, given the high level of representation from several countries. US President Joe Biden, King Charles of Great Britain and German Chancellor Olaf Scholz are expected to attend.
“The French kept the discussions on the invitation quite internal,” said the diplomat who, like others quoted in this article, benefited from anonymity to discuss this sensitive subject.
The organizer of the D-Day commemorations, Mission Libération, led by former French ambassador to Washington Philippe Etienne, said last month that Russian representatives would be invited even though Putin would be persona non grata at the ceremony.
“Unlike the Kremlin, France does not engage in political revisionism of history,” Mission Libération said in a statement. “Historically, France has always invited the countries whose troops had landed in Normandy. An invitation has already been extended to the Russian Federation,” the statement said.
Mission Libération did not confirm which Russian officials had been invited, or whether Russia had accepted the invitation. A Mission Libération official contacted by POLITICO said organizers were currently more “focused on preparations for the commemorations” than on detailing the guest list.
Politices
