French President Emmanuel Macron on Monday hosts a summit of Ukraine allies known as the Coalition of the Willing for in Paris, with Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelensky among those attending – a sign of the “strategic awakening” Europe is seeking in the face of Russia and the US under President Donald Trump.
Read moreUkraine allies gather in Paris to step up defence aid, heighten pressure on Russia
The day after this summit of 37 countries gathering heads of state and government, the same message will be symbolically reinforced at France’s military parade for the Bastille Day holiday on the Champs-Élysées. Around 500 soldiers from coalition member states will open the July 14 parade, a tradition that is unique among Western democracies.
Macron opens his final participation as president in this event at the end of the morning with a traditional address to the armed forces in which he is expected to tout France‘s ongoing “rearmament”, including a doubling of its defence budget over ten years.
Click on our liveplayer above to watch Macron’s address.
This story originally appeared on France24
