Zelensky in Paris secures 16 Rafale jets, 10-nation anti-ballistic coalition as 37 allies convene ahead of Bastille Day parade

The Paris summit

Representatives of 37 countries gathered at the Hôtel des Invalides in Paris on Monday for a summit of the 'coalition of the willing' in support of Ukraine, on the 1,600th day of the conflict. Emmanuel Macron said the gathering demonstrated France's 'strategic awakening'. The Kremlin, through spokesperson Dmitri Peskov, dismissed the coalition as a group of 'warmongers and lunatics' who harbour a 'deep illusion about the possibility of inflicting a strategic defeat on our country.'

It is a coalition of lunatics and warmongers who are deluding themselves about the possibility of inflicting a strategic defeat on our country.

Military hardware and funding

At the close of the summit, Macron announced that Ukraine will acquire 16 Rafale fighter jets, with flights in Ukrainian skies planned for 2028 and 2029, along with SAMP/T NG anti-aircraft batteries. The United Kingdom will participate in a 90 billion euro loan allocated by the European Union to Ukraine. A European reassurance force will conduct exercises in neighbouring countries in the coming months to demonstrate credibility 'on land, in the air and at sea,' Macron said.

Anti-ballistic missile coalition

Ten nations launched a purely defensive coalition against ballistic missiles: Denmark, France, Germany, Italy, the Netherlands, Norway, Spain, Sweden, Ukraine, and the United Kingdom. The Élysée Palace stated the action is 'directed against no people, but in defence of our own.' Zelensky said Ukraine is already collaborating with eight European countries on its own anti-ballistic project and that, if tests succeed, a new system could arrive as early as 2026, calling it cheaper than American Patriots.

Russia has missiles that can hit any European city. That is why Europe must have its own anti-ballistic defence. It will be cheaper than the Patriots and it needs to be similar.

Zelensky on the battlefield

In an exclusive interview with BFMTV before departing for Paris, President Zelensky claimed Russian forces have 'lost the initiative on the battlefield' but have not lost the war. He said Moscow has lost 150,000 men since the start of the year while advancing roughly 50 kilometres. He also described Ukraine's army as 'one of the most powerful in the world,' noting the country now produces its own drones, artillery, armoured vehicles, and 155 mm howitzers.

We now have the strongest army, or one of the most powerful in the world, but it faces the harshest conditions.

Cross-border casualties

Overnight drone attacks killed four people in Russia and six in Ukraine. In Russia's Moscow region, three people died and three were wounded in the village of Pionerski after a drone fell, while two others were injured in Solnechnogorsk where a drone struck a residential building. Governor Andrei Vorobiov said 81 drones were shot down over the Moscow region during the night. In the Belgorod region bordering Ukraine, a woman was killed and two men wounded. Ukraine has intensified strikes targeting hydrocarbon infrastructure to drain Moscow's ability to finance its war effort.

Inside the kill zone

A report from the Zaporizhzhia front described soldiers of Ukraine's 225th Assault Regiment evacuating wounded men through a 'kill zone' saturated with FPV and fibre-optic drones. A commander, Tatar, tied bracelets bearing the Archangel Michael onto soldiers' wrists, calling it 'our electronic warfare to protect them from drones.' The team advanced on foot for several kilometres under enemy fire to a trench where they would remain for weeks.

Bastille Day symbolism

Some 500 soldiers from coalition member states, including 25 Ukrainian fighters, will open the annual Bastille Day military parade on the Champs-Élysées on Tuesday. Zelensky called the invitation 'a very good signal' of European unity and said his army's participation was 'an honour.' He added, 'I think we have not done a bad job, because on Tuesday our army will take part in your parade.'