Overview
- French President Emmanuel Macron hosted about 30 leaders for a ‘Coalition of the Willing’ meeting that preceded the national parade and set the stage for joint defence commitments.
- Allied governments announced cooperative measures including an air‑defence coalition intended to shore up Ukraine’s depleted ammunition and layered air defences.
- On Tuesday, July 14 the Champs‑Élysées parade went ahead with a record international turnout that included roughly 500 coalition troops, about 25 Ukrainian soldiers, thousands more French personnel, and multinational aircraft flypasts.
- Record heat and widespread wildfires forced the cancellation of traditional firefighters’ balls, moved the Eiffel Tower fireworks to the night of July 13, and prompted road, parking and station closures to protect public safety in Paris.
- The events doubled as solemn commemoration of the 10th anniversary of the 2016 Nice attack and marked Macron’s tenth and final Bastille Day parade ahead of next year’s presidential transition.