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 celebrated its national holiday Thursday with thousands of French troops marching down the Champs-Elysees Avenue in Paris alongside allies from Eastern Europe. The parade also featured warplanes, military vehicles and a drone to show off France’s might and its efforts to support Ukraine. French President Emmanuel Macron, in a nationally televised interview, warned his compatriots that the Ukraine war is likely to last a while and to prepare for a cutoff of Russian gas. He 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.