Macron's final Bastille Day parade showcases European rearmament with 6,800 troops and Ukrainian soldiers on the Champs-Élysées

A farewell parade with a message

President Emmanuel Macron marked his final Bastille Day as head of state on Tuesday with the largest military parade in the history of the French national celebration. Nearly 6,700 soldiers marched on foot between the Arc de Triomphe and Place de la Concorde, accompanied by 315 vehicles, 98 aircraft, and 31 helicopters. The display was designed to illustrate "the rearmament of France, the strategic autonomy of France and the European strategic awakening," according to the Élysée Palace. Macron, who cannot run in the spring 2027 presidential election due to the constitutional two-term limit, used the occasion to project a legacy of European unity and military renewal after a decade in power during which the defence budget doubled.

We are ready and determined, and we are credible on land, at sea and in the air.

Ukraine at the centre

Twenty-five Ukrainian soldiers marched at the end of the allied contingent, a highly symbolic gesture four and a half years into Russia's full-scale invasion. The parade opened with the Patrouille de France aerobatic team, followed by two Mirage 2000B fighters carrying Ukrainian co-pilots trained in France. Those pilots are destined to fly Mirage 2000s delivered to Ukraine for airspace defence against daily Russian drone attacks. President Volodymyr Zelensky attended as guest of honour, applauded upon arrival and embraced by First Lady Brigitte Macron and Prime Minister Sébastien Lecornu.

Proud to see Ukrainian soldiers parade alongside French forces, a symbol of fraternity, courage and shared destiny.

A coalition on display

More than 500 soldiers from 35 countries participated, the vast majority from the Coalition of Volunteers, an informal 37-nation bloc led by France and the United Kingdom formed to provide long-term security guarantees to Ukraine. Spain sent 23 troops, one of the larger foreign delegations, and a Spanish F-18 fighter from Zaragoza joined the flyover. Aircraft from ten European nations, including the United Kingdom, Norway and Poland, crossed the Paris sky. The parade featured French units deployed on NATO's eastern flank, including a tank regiment stationed in Romania and personnel from the multinational NATO battalion in Estonia.

What is parading is a Europe united and determined to support Ukraine against Russia, a Europe sure of itself.

Leaders in the stands

Twenty-five heads of state or government attended, including German Chancellor Friedrich Merz, Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez, Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk, Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen, and outgoing British Prime Minister Keir Starmer. NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte and European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen were also present. US President Donald Trump, who attended Macron's first Bastille Day parade in 2017, was not invited this year. He sent congratulations via social media, referencing the 250th anniversary of the United States and expressing hope for closer ties with France.

Looking ahead to the next 250 years, the United States hopes to further strengthen its relationship with France, based on a shared commitment to freedom, peace and prosperity.

A direct message to Moscow

The parade came one day after a Coalition of Volunteers summit at the Hôtel des Invalides, where Ukraine and nine other countries agreed to work on future European military assistance. The Élysée framed the event under the banner of "the strategic awakening of Europe," a message aimed at Russia and at a Washington perceived as unpredictable. General Fabien Mandon, chief of staff of the French Armed Forces, called the parade "a physical embodiment of strategic solidarity between our countries." The display of European unity arrived two months after Vladimir Putin drastically scaled back Russia's 9 May Victory Day commemorations, a contrast noted by French officials.

It is a physical embodiment of strategic solidarity between our countries.

Heatwave and remembrance

The national holiday unfolded as France faced another deadly heatwave, with Paris temperatures expected to reach 34 degrees Celsius on Wednesday. Wildfires burned south of Paris near Fontainebleau and in other regions. The day also marked ten years since the 2016 terrorist attack in Nice, where a truck drove into a Bastille Day crowd on the Promenade des Anglais, killing 86 people in an attack later claimed by the Islamic State group.