{"id":49205,"date":"2026-07-15T12:28:44","date_gmt":"2026-07-15T19:28:44","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/occupysf.net\/?p=49205"},"modified":"2026-07-15T12:28:46","modified_gmt":"2026-07-15T19:28:46","slug":"frances-bastille-day-parade-showcases-european-support-for-ukraine","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/occupysf.net\/index.php\/2026\/07\/15\/frances-bastille-day-parade-showcases-european-support-for-ukraine\/","title":{"rendered":"France&#8217;s Bastille Day parade showcases European support for Ukraine"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p>France<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>France&#8217;s annual July 14 military parade this year featured aircraft from 11 European countries and around 500 troops from Coalition of the Willing allies that have pledged to help with Ukraine\u2019s post-war security in a showcase of support for Kyiv. The event marked President Emmanuel Macron\u2019s last Bastille Day parade in his role.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Issued on:\u00a014\/07\/2026 &#8211; Modified:\u00a014\/07\/2026<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>By:  <a href=\"https:\/\/www.france24.com\/en\/author\/france-24\/\">FRANCE 24<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Video by:  <a href=\"https:\/\/www.france24.com\/en\/author\/caroline-baum\/\">Caroline BAUM<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/s.france24.com\/media\/display\/34066ca6-7f63-11f1-8979-005056bfb2b6\/w:1024\/p:16x9\/000-C24J99R.jpg\" alt=\"A coalition of volunteers of invited foreign nations parade during the annual Bastille Day military parade on the Champs-Elysees Avenue in Paris on July 14, 2026.\"\/><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Cover image: A coalition of volunteers of invited foreign nations parade during the annual Bastille Day military parade on the Champs-Elysees Avenue in Paris on July 14, 2026. \u00a9 Ludovic Marin, AFP<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-embed is-type-video is-provider-youtube wp-block-embed-youtube wp-embed-aspect-16-9 wp-has-aspect-ratio\"><div class=\"wp-block-embed__wrapper\">\n<iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"Bastille Day: France celebrates Ukraine and its allies with military parade \u2022 FRANCE 24 English\" width=\"800\" height=\"450\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/a5McWQu9uzs?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe>\n<\/div><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.france24.com\/en\/tag\/ukraine\/\">Ukrainian<\/a>&nbsp;fighter pilots and troops took pride of place in&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/www.france24.com\/en\/tag\/france\/\">France<\/a>&#8216;s national&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/www.france24.com\/en\/tag\/bastille-day\/\">Bastille Day<\/a>&nbsp;celebrations Tuesday as a&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/www.france24.com\/en\/bastille-day-france-celebrates-ukraine-and-its-allies-with-military-parade\">massive parade<\/a>&nbsp;showcased support for Ukraine and symbolically flexed European military muscle.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>On President&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/www.france24.com\/en\/tag\/emmanuel-macron\/\">Emmanuel Macron<\/a>\u2019s last&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/www.france24.com\/en\/tag\/bastille-day\/\">Bastille Day<\/a>&nbsp;as president, he hosted around 30 other leaders for an event that appeared aimed at showing both Russian President&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/www.france24.com\/en\/tag\/vladimir-putin\/\">Vladimir Putin<\/a>&nbsp;and US President&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/www.france24.com\/en\/tag\/donald-trump\/\">Donald Trump<\/a>&nbsp;that Europe is united and stepping up to defend itself.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Ukrainian President&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/www.france24.com\/en\/tag\/volodymyr-zelensky\/\">Volodymyr Zelensky<\/a>&nbsp;was given an ovation from the assembled European leaders as he arrived and his country&#8217;s troops got the biggest cheers of the day from crowds on the tree-lined Champs-\u00c9lys\u00e9es avenue. Zelensky and Macron shared repeated hugs at the end of the parade.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>France&#8217;s biggest national holiday coincided with\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.france24.com\/en\/france\/20260714-more-than-1-900-hectares-fontainebleau-forest-near-paris-destroyed-by-wildfires\">raging forest fires<\/a>\u00a0and a red-alert\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.france24.com\/en\/tag\/heatwave\/\">heatwave<\/a>\u00a0that forced the cancellation of traditional fireworks and firefighters\u2019 balls.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Macron reviews troops for the last time at France&#8217;s annual military parade<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/s.france24.com\/media\/display\/fd8a3c10-7f8b-11f1-b8b8-005056bf30b7\/w:1024\/p:16x9\/2026-07-14T130522Z-211989227-RC2MDMA54WO6-RTRMADP-3-FRANCE-NATIONALDAY.jpg\" alt=\"French President Emmanuel Macron speaks with Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelenskiy as they leave after the annual Bastille Day military parade on the Place de la Concorde in Paris, France.\"\/><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Cover image: French President Emmanuel Macron speaks with Ukraine&#8217;s President Volodymyr Zelenskiy as they leave after the annual Bastille Day military parade on the Place de la Concorde in Paris, France REUTERS &#8211; Benoit Tessier<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Here\u2019s what to know about Bastille Day this year:<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>It\u2019s celebrated on July 14 because that\u2019s the day Parisians stormed the Bastille fortress and prison in 1789, helping spark the French Revolution that overthrew the monarchy and sent King Louis XVI and his queen Marie-Antoinette to the guillotine.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Bastille Day holiday is central to the French calendar and national identity. Presidents use it to vaunt France\u2019s accomplishments, mayors across the country host village festivals and families gather for holiday meals.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The centerpiece is the&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/www.france24.com\/en\/tag\/paris\/\">Paris<\/a>&nbsp;parade beneath the Napoleon-era&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/www.france24.com\/en\/tag\/arc-de-triomphe\/\">Arc de Triomphe<\/a>&nbsp;and along the Champs-\u00c9lys\u00e9es avenue, which inspired Trump to&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=LQz_OtkgoqQ\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">stage his own parade<\/a>&nbsp;last year.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">&#8216;Coalition of the willing&#8217;<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>A huge French tricolor flag hanging below the monumental arch rippled in the wind as a military band on horseback rode down the tree-lined avenue followed by Macron standing in an open military vehicle to kick off the parade.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Spectators wore hats and brandished small fans to fend off the heat as a formation of air force planes roared overhead trailing red, white and blue smoke.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Zelensky joined Macron along with some 30 other heads of state or government in the special viewing area for the parade.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Ukrainian troops marched along the cobblestoned avenue, and Ukrainian co-pilots trained in France were on board two Mirage 2000B fighter jets alongside French air force pilots.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cI feel very proud for the fact that they\u2019re here and for the fact that we\u2019re marching alongside of them and I think it as well it will create better ties with them and&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/www.france24.com\/en\/tag\/nato\/\">NATO<\/a>&nbsp;and to be a part of that history,\u201d 21-year-old UK soldier Lance Cpl. Patrick Risso said of the Ukrainian involvement.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/s.france24.com\/media\/display\/580f453e-7f7a-11f1-8e83-005056bfb2b6\/w:980\/AP26195354689713.jpg\" alt=\"Ukrainian soldiers march during the Bastille Day military parade in Paris on July 14, 2026\"\/><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Ukrainian soldiers march during the Bastille Day military parade in Paris on July 14, 2026. \u00a9 Michel Euler, AP<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>On the ground, the parade opened with around 500 troops from the \u2033coalition of the willing\u2033 grouping of countries that have pledged to help with Ukraine\u2019s postwar security.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Macron said Monday night that it\u2019s a \u2033great honour\u2033 to welcome to the parade \u2033all the partners in the coalition of the willing and our Ukrainian friends who will march with us and illustrate its strategic reawakening and our unity\u2033.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The foreign fighters in combat fatigues and dress uniforms marched with their national flags, in a break with tradition \u2013 usually only one foreign country is invited to take part in the parade. It was the first time in some 20 years that British troops took part. Ukrainian forces got the loudest cheers from the crowd.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>In the skies, aircraft from&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/www.france24.com\/en\/tag\/germany\/\">Germany<\/a>, the&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/www.france24.com\/en\/tag\/united-kingdom\/\">United Kingdom<\/a>,&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/www.france24.com\/en\/tag\/croatia\/\">Croatia<\/a>,&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/www.france24.com\/en\/tag\/poland\/\">Poland<\/a>,&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/www.france24.com\/en\/tag\/denmark\/\">Denmark<\/a>,&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/www.france24.com\/en\/tag\/greece\/\">Greece<\/a>,&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/www.france24.com\/en\/tag\/sweden\/\">Sweden<\/a>,&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/www.france24.com\/en\/tag\/norway\/\">Norway<\/a>,&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/www.france24.com\/en\/tag\/spain\/\">Spain<\/a>&nbsp;and&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/www.france24.com\/en\/tag\/italy\/\">Italy<\/a>&nbsp;were taking part.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The parade set a record in terms of number of troops: The Paris military governor said 7,600 troops were marching this year, compared with 5,810 in 2025. Thousands of soldiers started taking up positions early Tuesday, many taking selfies as helicopters flew overhead.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Forest fires are raging&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/www.france24.com\/en\/france\/20260714-more-than-1-900-hectares-fontainebleau-forest-near-paris-destroyed-by-wildfires\">in the Fontainebleau forest<\/a>&nbsp;south of Paris and in areas of southern France, as the country suffers through its third heatwave this year.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Read more<a href=\"https:\/\/www.france24.com\/en\/france\/20260711-paris-landmarks-to-close-early-as-france-swelters-under-third-heatwave-since-may\">Paris landmarks close early as France swelters under third heatwave since May<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>As a result, authorities in some regions \u2013 including the French capital \u2013 banned fireworks and&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/www.france24.com\/en\/tag\/firefighters\/\">firefighters<\/a>&#8216; balls customarily held around Bastille Day.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/www.france24.com\/en\/tag\/eiffel-tower\/\">Eiffel Tower<\/a>&#8216;s fireworks and drone show was maintained, however, and held Monday night, including a drone formation shaped like the Statue of Liberty \u2013 a gift from France to the&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/www.france24.com\/en\/tag\/usa\/\">United States<\/a>&nbsp;that arrived in New York in 1885 to mark the US centennial, the end of the American Civil War, and friendship between the two countries.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><em>(FRANCE 24 with AP)<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>France France&#8217;s annual July 14 military parade this year featured aircraft from 11 European countries and around 500 troops from Coalition of the Willing allies that have pledged to help with Ukraine\u2019s post-war security in a showcase of support for Kyiv. The event marked President Emmanuel Macron\u2019s last Bastille Day&#8230; <a class=\"continue-reading-link\" href=\"https:\/\/occupysf.net\/index.php\/2026\/07\/15\/frances-bastille-day-parade-showcases-european-support-for-ukraine\/\"> Continue reading <span class=\"meta-nav\">&rarr; <\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1880],"tags":[2195],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/occupysf.net\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/49205"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/occupysf.net\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/occupysf.net\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/occupysf.net\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/occupysf.net\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=49205"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/occupysf.net\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/49205\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":49206,"href":"https:\/\/occupysf.net\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/49205\/revisions\/49206"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/occupysf.net\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=49205"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/occupysf.net\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=49205"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/occupysf.net\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=49205"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}