French President Emmanuel Macron will oversee his 10th and final Bastille Day military parade as president on Tuesday, with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy in attendance, as France marks the national holiday alongside the 10th anniversary of the deadly Nice truck attack.
The annual military parade, commemorating the July 14, 1789, storming of the Bastille during the French Revolution, will draw crowds to central Paris before France faces Spain in the FIFA World Cup semi-final later in the day.
Tens of thousands of people are expected to attend despite a scorching heat wave that has fuelled a forest fire outside the capital and prompted fireworks bans in many parts of the country.
This year's parade and air show will feature troops from the Coalition of the Willing, as well as Ukrainian soldiers and co-pilots, underscoring European support for Kiev more than four years after Russia launched its full-scale offensive in Ukraine.
The procession along the Champs-Elysees is scheduled to begin at 10:00 am (0800 GMT), led by 500 soldiers from the Coalition of the Willing. They will be followed by around 25 Ukrainian troops, a day after coalition leaders met in Paris.
Aircraft from Germany, the United Kingdom, Croatia, Poland, Denmark, Greece, Sweden, Norway, Spain and Italy will also participate in the aerial display.
‘A powerful symbol’
France and the United Kingdom have led the Coalition of the Willing since last year, bringing together countries prepared to contribute to a European-led multinational force in Ukraine if a ceasefire is reached.
Macron told members of the armed forces on Monday that Europe would defend its freedom "tooth and nail."
"The message we send to the world is this: Yes, peace is our goal," he said.
"Yes, we cherish freedom and the rule of law. And yes, we stand ready to fight to defend them. Always, and at the cost of blood if necessary."
A presidential official described the parade as "a powerful symbol of a Europe that is becoming aware of how dangerous the world is and that it must take its destiny into its own hands."
Later in the evening, football fans will turn their attention to France's World Cup semi-final against Spain, scheduled for 9:00 pm (1900 GMT).
Macron said the match would be preceded by a minute's silence in memory of the victims of the July 14, 2016, attack in Nice.
Anniversary of attack
A truck driver ploughed into crowds leaving Bastille Day fireworks celebrations in Nice on July 14, 2016, killing 86 people and injuring more than 400.
The Daesh terrorist group claimed the attacker, 31-year-old Tunisian Mohamed Lahouaiej-Bouhlel, as one of its followers after police shot him dead at the scene.
The attack came eight months after coordinated attacks in and around Paris on November 13, 2015, killed 130 people in France's deadliest peacetime assault.
Tuesday's military parade will be Macron's final Bastille Day ceremony as president before he leaves office next year after serving the maximum two consecutive terms permitted under the constitution.
Far-right leader Marine Le Pen is pressing ahead with her fourth presidential bid despite her embezzlement conviction.
During his first year in office, Macron hosted then newly inaugurated US President Donald Trump as guest of honour at the 2017 Bastille Day parade.
