Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and French President Emmanuel Macron. Photo: Office of the President of Ukraine
Zelenskyy invited to France for Bastille Day parade featuring Ukrainian troops
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and other Coalition of the Willing leaders have been invited to attend the Bastille Day military parade in Paris on 14 July, in which Ukrainian troops will take part.
Ukrainska Pravda
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Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and other Coalition of the Willing leaders have been invited to attend the Bastille Day military parade in Paris on 14 July, in which Ukrainian troops will take part.
Source: European Pravda, citing an official from the Élysée Palace
Details: Ukrainian service personnel will march alongside troops from member states of the Coalition of the Willing, an initiative launched by French President Emmanuel Macron, in the presence of the coalition's leaders.
On 13 July, Paris will host a meeting of the Coalition of the Willing at which representatives of more than 30 participating countries will return to the question of security guarantees for Ukraine and efforts to achieve peace.
European Pravda's source said the presence of France's Ukrainian partners will demonstrate France's solidarity with Ukraine and its determination to support the country in defending its sovereignty, territorial integrity and freedom.
The parade on 14 July will open with around 500 troops representing the Coalition of the Willing countries.
According to the Élysée Palace, this makes the parade a historic event, as it will be a powerful symbol of a Europe that is awakening, recognising the dangers facing the world, and understanding that it must take its destiny into its own hands, as some of Europe's partners on the other side of the Atlantic have encouraged it to do.
The total number of troops taking part will be the largest in the Bastille Day parade's history.
In addition to the marching contingent, the programme will feature military vehicles and an aircraft display.
Tanks are set to parade through central Paris while helicopters fly overhead to recreate the atmosphere of a modern battlefield.
French Mirage fighter jets, piloted by mixed French and Ukrainian crews, will fly over the city.
Military aircraft from Germany, the UK, Croatia, Poland, Denmark, Greece, Sweden, Norway, Spain and Italy will also take part.
The official concluded that the parade should also be seen as a strategic signal from France, sending a message that it possesses powerful armed forces capable of being the first to enter a conflict and conduct combat operations.
Background:
This year's Bastille Day parade will be Macron's last as president and will provide an opportunity to underscore France's political support for Ukraine.
Following the coalition's meeting on 24 February, more than 30 participating countries reaffirmed their role in providing multi-layered security guarantees for Ukraine with US backing.
On 6 January, UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer, Macron and Zelenskyy signed a declaration of intent on the deployment of troops to Ukraine in the event of a peace deal.
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