France nods to Ukraine at Bastille Day military parade

Thursday’s traditional Bastille Day Paris military parade is a salute to Ukraine and France’s Eastern European allies, who are among the guests of honor, officials said.

French troops stationed near Ukraine since February’s Russian attack have a special place at the event attended by President Emmanuel Macron, his government and foreign leaders.

“The parade is characterized by and takes into account the strategic context,” said an official in Macron’s office.

“The idea is to highlight strategic solidarity with our allies.”

Almost five months after Russia invaded Ukraine, the parade down the Champs-Elysees opens with the presentation of the national flags of nine allied host countries, most of them neighbors of Ukraine or Russia: Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland, Czech Republic, Slovakia, Hungary, Romania and Bulgaria.

The troops representing France’s contingent on NATO’s eastern flank will be next. Paris accelerated the deployment of 500 troops to Romania days after Russia’s attack on Ukraine and has signaled its readiness to increase the number if necessary.

France is also involved in ground and air operations in Estonia and has dispatched Rafale fighter jets to bolster Poland’s air defenses.

Macron’s increased military involvement in Eastern Europe comes at the same time as France is reducing its troops in Africa’s Sahel. Paris will station no more than 2,300 troops there by the end of the summer, up from more than 5,000 a year ago.

In view of the Ukraine conflict and inflationary pressures, Macron has announced an increased defense budget for the coming years “to match funds to threats”.

The high-intensity conflict in Ukraine has exposed gaps in the military capabilities of France, which, like several other Western countries, has sent aid and hardware to Ukraine, but which says it needs far more.

The current shift towards artillery warfare in Ukraine has particularly highlighted France’s lack of capacity to rapidly produce large quantities of ammunition.

Macron may comment during a rare live interview that will be broadcast early Thursday afternoon.

The July 14 parade marks the anniversary of the rebel attack on the Bastille, then a prison, in 1789, an event believed to have sparked the French Revolution.

It’s an annual opportunity to showcase France’s latest military equipment in a spectacular setting, attended by many thousands of spectators along the Champs-Elysees and watched by millions more on TV.

On Thursday, 6,300 people are expected to take part in the parade, including 5,000 on foot.

The show also includes 64 airplanes, 25 helicopters, 200 horses and 181 motorized vehicles.

The Air Force display, the highlight of the parade, will include planes from European allies and the Patrouille de France fighter squadron, which have already flown over the Cannes Film Festival earlier this year for the world premiere of Top Gun: Maverick with Tom Cruise — the one in blue -will draw the white and red colors of the French flag in the sky.

The Reaper drone, used in the Sahel to hunt down jihadists, will make its first appearance on Bastille Day.

As in countless other cities across France, there will be a gigantic fireworks display after dark, although some, like Nimes in south-west France, have canceled the event due to a high risk of fire from a massive heatwave.