Ukraine plays special role in France’s Bastille Day parade

By JADE LE DELEY
Associated Press

PARIS (AP) — France’s Bastille Day has been shaken by the war in Ukraine. France is celebrating its national holiday Thursday with thousands of French troops marching down the Champs-Elysees avenue alongside allies from Eastern Europe. The traditional parade also will feature warplanes, military vehicles and a drone to show off France’s might and its efforts to support Ukraine. The opening of this year’s Bastille Day parade was designed to demonstrate France’s commitment to NATO and to European allies touched most closely by Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. French President Emmanuel Macron praised Ukraine’s ability to stand up to Russia and called for a rethink of France’s military to make it more nimble in the face of evolving threats.