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BRUSSELS — With armed conflict again on their continent, many European leaders marked the end 106 years ago of World War I with warnings that liberty, so often taken as self-evident, should be cherished and defended.
British Prime Minister Keir Starmer and French President Emmanuel Macron, both leaders of nations with nuclear arsenals, were in Paris under the Arc de Triomphe, where dozens of wreaths were touched by a milky light and the eternal flame flickered to honor sacrifices of unknown French soldiers who perished in the first global conflict. That war killed almost 10 million soldiers.
"I am honored to be in Paris to stand united with President Macron in tribute to the fallen of the First World War who made the ultimate sacrifice for the freedom we enjoy today," Starmer said.
British Defense Secretary John Healey told Sky News the ceremonies amounted to a reminder that "we can never take the freedoms we enjoy in Europe for granted".
World War I pitted the armies of France, the globe-spanning British empire, Russia and the United States against a German-led coalition that included the Austro-Hungarian and Ottoman empires. Leaders from as far away as Australia, Canada and South Africa all joined in the remembrance.
Sometimes tens of thousands died on a single day in northern France or in Flanders' fields just across the border in Belgium along a front line that barely moved in four years. Such carnage was remembered under Ypres' Menin Gate in western Belgium, engraved with the the names of some 55,000 soldiers whose remains were never found.
Yet the horrors of the loss of life stood in sharp contrast to the gratitude of liberty regained for which the soldiers paid the ultimate price.
"This was the dilemma facing the men whose names line these walls. Back in 1914, should they fight to maintain values and a way of life in which there was a place for everyone? Or should they accept a false peace dominated by dictatorship?" asked Benoit Mottrie, chairman of the Last Post Association, which makes sure a bugler plays a tribute to the fallen every day under the gate — to this day.
"We all still benefit from their terrible sacrifice, which is why we remember them with such gratitude," said Mottrie.
Only hours earlier, reality had already intruded on remembrance.
Russian glide bombs, drones and a ballistic missile smashed into cities in southern and eastern Ukraine, killing at least six civilians and injuring about 30 others, in a war which is already deep in its third year, with little sign of an end in sight.
Macron and Starmer instead discussed "how best to put Ukraine in the strongest possible position going into the winter," Starmer's office said. The Elysee said talks centered on reinforcing European security and the two leaders' "determination to support Ukraine steadfastly and as long as necessary" amid Russia's ongoing aggression.
It is a conflict where Russia has more than once threatened the use of nuclear arms.
"We witness ongoing conflicts around the globe, with some leaders even hinting at the use of weapons of mass destruction," said Mottrie. "Many believe that we are closer to a Third World War than at any time during the past 75 years."
In Paris, the same points of remembrance were made in a solemn ceremony — it was the first time a British leader attended the Paris remembrance since Winston Churchill was hosted by Gen. Charles de Gaulle in 1944.
The Elysee said Macron expressed gratitude for Starmer's presence at the Armistice Day ceremony, which this year marked 120 years of the Entente Cordiale pact between Britain and France. The statement said the two leaders celebrated "shared values of Franco-British friendship" which had come under pressure because of Brexit, the U.K.'s decision to leave the European Union, of which France is a key member.
Starmer also announced that the British government has earmarked more than $12.8 million for next year's 80th anniversary of the Allied victory in Europe and the subsequent defeat of Japan ending World War II.
Contributing: Thomas Adamson and Sylvie Corbet
