Shutting down Nord Stream 1 for maintenance is a "clear message" for France's president. He sees Russia as an actor in a war that is also fought with energy. On the national holiday, he is preparing his country for a hard summer and autumn in order to do without Russian gas altogether.
According to President Emmanuel Macron, France will completely do without Russian natural gas as soon as possible. In a television interview on National Day, Macron said the country had already found new sources of supply and stocked up. Consumption has also fallen “a little” compared to the previous year. He reaffirmed the plans to expand nuclear energy - it was a "sustainable solution" for France and also for other countries.
Macron accused Russia of using energy as a "weapon of war". Russia has already started restricting supplies by shutting down the Nord Stream 1 gas pipeline for maintenance. "This is a clear message: They will use gas as a weapon of war. We must therefore do without Russian gas."
It is estimated that France gets less than 20 percent of its gas imports from Russia. Not using this gas means "that the summer and the beginning of autumn will probably be very tough," Macron said. By autumn, however, the country will have increased its stocks "too close to 100 percent". France therefore receives more natural gas from Norway, Qatar, Algeria and the USA.
The traditional military parade in Paris on the French National Day was all about the Ukraine war. "We have to be prepared that the war will last," Macron said in his television interview after inspecting the parade on the Champs Elysées.
Macron drove the troops down the Boulevard Champs-Elysées in a military vehicle before taking a seat with other dignitaries in the stands at the Place de la Concorde. The flags of this year's nine guest countries were also presented during the parade march, all of them neighboring countries of Russia or Ukraine. It is about "emphasizing the strategic solidarity with our allies," said Macron's office.
A highlight of the military parade was the Air Force Air Show. The aerobatic squadron Patrouille de France, which caused a sensation at the world premiere of the film "Top Gun: Maverick" at the Cannes Film Festival in May, was also involved. On Thursday, the jet planes painted the colors of the Tricolore in the sky over Paris at the start of the parade.
6300 people took part in the parade this year, 5000 of them marched. 64 aircraft were in action, as well as a drone, 25 helicopters, 200 horses and 181 vehicles.
French troops stationed in Eastern Europe since the start of the Russian offensive have a special place in the parade. Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland, the Czech Republic, Slovakia, Hungary, Romania and Bulgaria were invited as guest countries.
Paris has significantly increased its military presence in Eastern Europe since the start of the Russian invasion of Ukraine. About 500 additional French soldiers have been stationed in Romania since February as part of the NATO mission there. France also supports missions in Estonia and Poland with ground troops and aircraft.
The military parade on July 14 commemorates the storming of the Bastille in 1789. The event is representative of the beginning of the French Revolution.
