• French President Macron underscores Europe's support for Ukraine during final Bastille Day military parade in Paris.
• Parade includes fly-past by Patrouille de France aerobatics team and 500 soldiers from Coalition of the Willing supporting Ukraine.
• Leaders from Coalition of the Willing meet in Paris to discuss further military assistance for Ukraine, including developing anti-ballistic capabilities in Europe.

French President Emmanuel Macron sought to underscore Europe's support for Ukraine in his final Bastille Day military parade as the country's leader on Tuesday.

France marks its national day by commemorating the storming of the Bastille in 1789, which is regarded as the symbolic beginning of the French Revolution.

This year, the parade was led by a fly-past by the Patrouille de France aerobatics team, accompanied by two Mirage fighter jets with Franco-Ukrainian crews. Paris had provided jets of this type to Ukraine.

At the front of the parade on Paris' Champs-Élysées there were 500 soldiers from member states of the Coalition of the Willing - a group of countries supporting Ukraine in its fight against Russian forces.

Twenty-five Ukrainian soldiers marched along the avenue.

According to the Élysée Palace, the parade included nearly 6,800 soldiers, larger than ever before. The number of vehicles involved was also significantly higher than usual.

The scale of the parade was intended to reflect France's increased defence spending, which has doubled since 2017, when Macron first took office as president.

Zelensky attends celebrations

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky watched the parade from the official grandstand, alongside around 30 other leaders from the Coalition of the Willing, as well as European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen.

German Chancellor Friedrich Merz was also among the guests of honour. The last time a German chancellor attended the parade in Paris was in 2019, when then chancellor Angela Merkel was present.

"It is a great honour for us to be here," Zelensky said after the parade.

"Emmanuel's invitation to our defenders is a sign of respect and recognition of Ukraine's strength, of our people and our armed forces," he added. "We thank our soldiers. We thank France and all our partners who stand by Ukraine."

The parade is the 10th and final Bastille Day ceremony presided over by Macron. France's presidential election is scheduled for next April and May, and he is ineligible to stand again.

Germany participated with four military aircraft and 21 soldiers from Artillery Battalion 295. The unit is part of the Franco-German Brigade.

While the Bastille parade was a symbolic display of force, leaders from the Coalition of the Willing met in Paris on Monday with Zelensky to discuss further military assistance for Kiev.

At the meeting, Ukraine and nine other countries announced they have agreed to work together to develop anti-ballistic capabilities in Europe to protect the continent.