乔·拜登总统白宫表示,奥巴马于周三凌晨抵达法国,他将在那里强调美国在世界舞台上的领导地位——无论是过去还是现在——因为乌克兰和加沙的冲突仍是他和盟友关注的焦点。
拜登将开始他的“行动密集”之旅,纪念美国建国80周年诺曼底登陆日据白宫称,周四是二战中盟军袭击法国诺曼底海滩的日子。
白宫国家安全通讯顾问约翰·柯比周二告诉记者,在那里,他还将会见“表现出非凡的勇气、技能和无畏精神”的美国退伍军人,并发表讲话宣传他们在战争期间“所做贡献的持续影响”。
此外,与竞争对手唐纳德·特朗普不同的是,拜登计划访问爱因-马恩美国公墓,那里埋葬着数千名美国士兵,其中许多人参加了第一次世界大战。(特朗普没有出席2018年他在法国时在那里举行了一个仪式。)
记者的笔记本:一位二战黑人英雄终于获得了荣誉,80年前的诺曼底登陆英勇救人
“信息很简单:美国军队在海外战争中的服务和牺牲永远不应被忘记,”柯比在谈到拜登参观墓地时说。“我们对这种牺牲的承诺永远不会动摇,我们对他们留下的人的义务永远不会减轻,即使这可能是几代人以前的事情。”
他说,美国人有“严肃和清醒”的义务承认阵亡的士兵,因为“他们没有白白牺牲自己的未来。”
周五,拜登将在Pointe du Hoc发表捍卫自由和民主的讲话。Pointe du Hoc是一个100英尺高的悬崖军事突击队,在炮火中抓住了可能向下方奥马哈海滩登陆的美国军队发射的德国大炮。
“他会谈论那一刻的利害关系。白宫国家安全顾问杰克·沙利文告诉记者:“这是独裁和自由之间的生死之战。“他将谈论那些攀登悬崖的人以及他们如何将自己置于身后——他们将国家置于自己之前。
“他将谈到孤立主义的危险,以及如果我们退缩会怎样?沙利文补充说:“对独裁者来说,如果不能反抗他们,他们就会继续下去,最终美国和世界将付出更大的代价。”
女兵重返诺曼底参加诺曼底登陆80周年纪念活动
拜登在法国期间,柯比表示,俄罗斯在乌克兰的战争以及以色列与哈马斯在加沙的战争将是讨论的重点。
柯比说:“这次访问将在一个重要时刻到来,因为乌克兰继续在东部和北部面临俄罗斯的威胁,而且我们正在努力解决中东的人道主义危机。”
他说,法国和下周在意大利举行的七国集团峰会都将讨论美国及其盟友如何利用被冻结的俄罗斯资产帮助乌克兰进行“有价值的努力”,特别是在重建方面。
沙利文说,拜登将在诺曼底和七国集团会议期间会见乌克兰总统弗拉基米尔·泽连斯基,并将讨论“我们如何继续和深化对乌克兰的支持”
视频:拜登允许乌克兰使用美国武器在俄罗斯境内实施打击
他说,这两次会晤将使泽连斯基和拜登有机会“深入探讨乌克兰战争中的每个方面和每个问题”。拜登将错过本月在瑞士举行的乌克兰和平峰会,转而参加与前总统巴拉克·奥巴马、乔治·克鲁尼和朱莉娅·罗伯茨共同举办的一场盛大的筹款活动
副总统卡玛拉·哈里斯和沙利文将代表美国出席和平峰会。
白宫表示,拜登还计划前往法国,法国总统埃马纽埃尔·马克龙将欢迎他进行国事访问,访问期间将举行晚宴和会议,讨论世界问题。
柯比说,作为国事访问的一部分,两人将宣布他们正在采取的新措施,以深化印太合作,促进清洁能源投资,增加核能产能,以及美国和法国如何共同努力确保2024年巴黎奥运会的安全。他不愿透露细节。
拜登表示,只有哈马斯阻碍停火,但关于以色列的问题仍然存在
柯比说,尽管美国及其盟友在包括乌克兰在内的许多问题上步调一致,但在以色列和哈马斯的战争中出现了一些分歧,包括一些国家单方面承认巴勒斯坦国。
“当然,许多国家对加沙正在发生的事情有不同的看法,”柯比承认,并补充说拜登“尊重这一点,他对此表示赞赏。适用的正是主权、领土完整和联合国宪章的理念,他尊重所有这些。这并不意味着我们必须在所有事情上都达成一致。”
柯比补充说:“他不会根据受欢迎程度做出国家安全决定,也不会根据美国以外的相反意见做出决定。”
但是,总体而言,柯比表示,拜登在法国的参与将凸显美国在全球舞台上的领导地位。
柯比说:“当他谈论美国的领导力时,这不是一种傲慢的领导力。“这是一种谦逊的领导。”
柯比说:“他认识到,尽管我们很强大,尽管我们能做很多好事,但我们需要帮助。”“我们的盟友和伙伴为我们的努力带来了我们无法一直带来的东西。“
柯比补充说:“当我们彼此合作时,我们对和平、自由、稳定和安全等崇高词汇发出了更强烈的信号。”
Biden to tout American global leadership during trip to France
President Joe Bidenarrived in France early Wednesday morning where he looks to highlight America’s world stage leadership -- past and present -- as conflicts in Ukraine and Gaza remain top focuses for him and allies, the White House said.
Biden will begin his "action-packed" trip commemorating the 80th anniversary ofD-Dayon Thursday, the day Allied forces stormed the beaches of Normandy, France, in World War II, according to the White House.
While there, he will also meet with American veterans who "exhibited remarkable bravery, skill and intrepidity" and deliver remarks touting "the continued impact of their contributions" during the war, White House national security communications adviser John Kirby told reporters Tuesday.
And, in contrast to rival Donald Trump, Biden plans to visit the Aisne-Marne American Cemetery, where thousands of American troops, many of whom fought in World War I, are buried. (Trump did not attenda ceremony there while he was in France in 2018.)
Reporter's notebook: A Black WWII hero is finally honored, 80 years after lifesaving D-Day courage
"The message is simple: that the service and the sacrifice of American troops in wars overseas should never be forgotten," Kirby said of Biden visiting the cemetery. "And our commitment to honor that sacrifice should never waver, and our obligations to those they leave behind, even though it may be generations ago, can never be lessened."
He said Americans have a "somber and sober" obligation to acknowledge fallen soldiers because "they didn’t sacrifice their futures for nothing."
"He'll talk about the stakes of that moment. An existential fight between dictatorship and freedom," White House national security adviser Jake Sullivan told reporters. "He'll talk about the men who scaled those cliffs and how they put themselves behind -- they put the country ahead of themselves.
"And he'll talk about the dangers of isolationism and how if we back [down?] to dictators, fail to stand up to them, they keep going and, ultimately, America and the world pays a greater price," Sullivan added.
Women veterans return to Normandy for 80th D-Day anniversary
While Biden is in France, Kirby said Russia's war in Ukraine and Israel's war with Hamas in Gaza will be major points of discussion.
"This visit will come at an important moment as Ukraine continues to face down Russian threats in its east and north, and as we are working to address the humanitarian crisis in the Middle East," Kirby said.
He said that discussion will be had both in France and at the G7 Summit in Italy next week, on how the U.S. and its allies can pursue the "worthwhile endeavor" of using frozen Russian assets to help Ukraine, particularly with reconstruction.
Sullivan said Biden will meet with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy in both Normandy and on the sidelines of the G7 and will discuss "how we can continue and deepen our support for Ukraine."
Video: Biden gives permission to Ukraine to strike inside Russian territory with US weapons
He said the two meetings will give Zelenskyy and Biden -- who will miss Ukraine's peace summit in Switzerland this month in favor of a glitzy fundraiser with former President Barack Obama, George Clooney and Julia Roberts -- the opportunity "to go deep on every aspect and every issue in the war."
Vice President Kamala Harris and Sullivan will represent the U.S. at the peace summit.
Biden is also scheduled to go to Paris, where French President Emmanuel Macron will welcome him for a state visit, which will include a dinner and a meeting, during which they will discuss world issues, the White House said.
As part of the state visit, the two men will announce new steps they are taking to deepen Indo-Pacific cooperation, boost clean energy investments, increase nuclear energy capacity, and how the U.S. and France are working together to ensure the 2024 Paris Olympics are safe, Kirby said. He would not get into specifics.
Biden says only Hamas stands in way of cease-fire, but questions about Israel remain
Despite the U.S. and its allies walking in lockstep on many issues, including Ukraine, one issue where there has become some separation is the Israel-Hamas war, including with some nations unilaterally recognizing a Palestinian state, Kirby said.
"Many nations have different views, of course, about what's going on in Gaza," Kirby admitted, adding that Biden "respects that, he appreciates that. It's the very idea of sovereignty, and territorial integrity and the precepts of the U.N. Charter that apply, and he respects all that. It doesn't mean we have to agree on everything."
"He doesn't make national security decisions based on popularity and he doesn't do it based on contrary opinions outside the United States," Kirby added.
But, overall, Kirby said Biden's engagements in France will highlight the importance of American leadership on the global stage.
"When he talks about American leadership, it's not an arrogant leadership," Kirby said. "It's a humble leadership."
"He recognizes that, for as powerful as we are, as much good as we can do, we need help," Kirby said. "Our allies and partners bring things to the endeavor that we can't always bring."
Kirby added: "We send a much stronger signal about lofty words like peace and freedom and stability and security when we're working in concert with one another."