Over 300 vehicles and 6,500 soldiers will march down the iconic Champs-Élysées in central Paris this morning as part of today’s Bastille Day celebration, which is set to “send a strategic signal” about France and Europe’s military awakening. Because nothing says 'we mean business' like a parade with tanks and a flyover.

Marking the importance of international cooperation (and presumably a shared love of marching in unison), the parade also includes 500 troops from countries involved in the Coalition of the Willing, including Germany, and 25 soldiers from Ukraine. Emmanuel Macron, hosting his tenth and final parade before next year’s presidential election, has a guest list that includes Volodymyr Zelenskyy and other leaders who stayed overnight after talks on Ukraine. The parade begins 10am local time (9am BST), and we'll bring you all the key updates - because you can never have too many live blog updates of people walking in straight lines.

Elsewhere, Brussels is having what the EU’s enlargement commissioner, Marta Kos, calls a “Super Tuesday.” Albania, Moldova, Montenegro, and Ukraine are all making progress in their EU accession talks. “In the for more than two decades, we have not had four accession conferences in one day, and this will happen today,” Kos said, apparently counting on her fingers. Montenegro is the frontrunner, with more than half of “clusters” closed, but all four countries are making good progress on reforms. Because nothing says 'European unity' like a bureaucratic cluster.

During the parade, you might also spot some members of the firefighter brigade - their presence is even more important than usual given the massive wildfires France has been battling. The fire in Fontainebleau, a former royal hunting preserve about 40 miles (60km) from Paris, began late Sunday afternoon and raced across about 800 hectares (2,000 acres) of forest by last night. The mayor of Fontainebleau, Julien Gondard, said he was shocked and angered: “This exceptional area is consumed by flames, we’ve never seen anything like this.” The June heatwaves that hit Europe would have been “virtually impossible” without climate change, according to the World Weather Attribution group. Human-caused climate breakdown is supercharging extreme weather - because apparently, we needed more drama.

As the parade continues, we see the multinational NATO battalion stationed in Estonia, including the French 3rd Marine Artillery Regiment, followed by troops from the Coalition of the Willing. Flags of Albania, Australia, Austria, Belgium, Britain, Bulgaria, Canada, Croatia, Cyprus, Czechia, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, Germany, Greece, Ireland, Italy, Latvia, Lithuania, Moldova, the Netherlands, Portugal, Spain, Slovakia, Slovenia, Sweden, and others march by. A group of Ukrainian troops march at the end, saluting the leaders and getting very warm applause - because who doesn't love a standing ovation for people who are literally fighting for their country?

Macron, Zelenskyy, and other leaders watch from the tribune. Then, Patrouille de France fly over the Champs-Élysées, releasing colorful vapors that form a French flag. They are flanked by two Mirage 2000 aircraft, piloted by French pilots but accompanied by Ukrainian pilots undergoing training with the French air force. Because nothing says 'solidarity' like a coordinated flyover.

As Macron climbs the honorary tribune, let's reflect on how this parade compares to his first in 2017. Back then, he invited freshly inaugurated US President Donald Trump as his guest of honor and even got the French army band to play Daft Punk’s “Get Lucky.” Ten years on, he's surrounded by mostly European leaders - Zelenskyy, Merz, Starmer, Frederiksen, Tusk - sending a clear signal about Europe’s re-emerging power. The Élysée Palace says the parade will be “a powerful symbol of Europe that is becoming aware of how dangerous the world is and that it must take its destiny into its own hands.” Macron reportedly hates talking about his “lasts,” but surely it's a moving personal moment as he participates in this ceremony for the final time. Or maybe he's just thinking about the Daft Punk cover.