PARIS: France on Tuesday showcased its military power and unity with allies, holding its largest-ever national day parade with Ukraine's president guest of honour as European rearmament gathers pace in the face of Russia's war against Ukraine. The final July 14 parade presided over by President Emmanuel Macron, the event brought together thousands of French troops but also two dozen foreign heads of state and government, including Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, and hundreds of European troops. The parade, which marks the storming of the Bastille fortress in the French revolution, is being held a day after Macron hosted a new summit of Ukraine's allies some four-and-a-half years into the full-scale Russian attack of its neighbour.
Other European leaders witnessing the parade included German Chancellor Friedrich Merz and, on one of his last foreign engagements, British Premier Keir Starmer, who has spearheaded with Macron European efforts to support Ukraine but is now stepping down. With nearly 6,700 troops, 98 aircraft, 31 helicopters, and 315 vehicles, a record number of military personnel were marching the traditional route between the Arc de Triomphe and the Place de la Concorde.
The parade was to illustrate "France's rearmament, France's strategic autonomy, and Europe's strategic awakening," said a French presidential official. "What is marching past is a Europe united and determined to support Ukraine in the face of Russia — a Europe confident in itself," deputy defence minister Alice Rufo told RTL radio.
Tens of thousands of members of the public braved a scorching heatwave to attend the celebrations in central Paris, having obtained special QR codes to allow them to cross the security perimeter. Some 500 soldiers from the so-called Coalition of the Willing of mainly European nations supporting Kyiv against Moscow were marching. Symbolically, 25 Ukrainian soldiers were following the troops of coalition members.
Macron, who has pressed for a strategically autonomous Europe less dependent on the United States, on Monday said Europe would fight for freedom, even if it required its own troops shedding blood. "The message we send to the world is this: Yes, peace is our goal," he said in a traditional speech to the armed forces. "Yes, we cherish freedom and the rule of law. And yes, we stand ready to fight to defend them. Always, and at the cost of blood if necessary."
With threats growing to European security and US President Donald Trump regarded as an unpredictable ally, Chief of the Defence Staff General Fabien Mandon described the parade on X "a physical embodiment of the strategic solidarity between our countries." Mandon caused a storm late last year when he said France must be prepared to "accept losing its children" in a potential future conflict with Russia. Ukrainian pilots trained in France were to co-pilot two French Mirage 2000s, planes transferred to Ukraine to defend its airspace against the Russian drones.
The parade is also being held after new exchanges between Iran and the United States in the Middle East, raising fears of a return to full-scale war. This year's military parade is Macron's last as president before he steps down next year after a maximum two consecutive terms in office that have seen him seek to boost defence spending and ramp up cooperation with allies.
In his first months in office, the French leader famously used the 2017 Bastille Day parade to wow his guest of honour, freshly inaugurated Trump during his first term. This year's parade is also being held 10 years after a truck driver on July 14, 2016, ploughed into crowds leaving a Bastille Day fireworks display in the southern city of Nice, killing 86 people and wounding more than 400. Macron is due to head to Nice later in the day while the Champs-Elysees is expected to be filled with supporters for the France-Spain World Cup semi final. — AFP
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