PARIS — Under the pouring rain, leaders of about 70 countries came to Arc de Triomphe in Paris on Nov. 11 to mark the centenary of the end of World War I.
Ukraine’s President Petro Poroshenko joined the ceremony at the invitation of French President Emmanuel Macron. Russian President Vladimir Putin and United States President Donald Trump were also among the guests.
The bells of Notre Dame de Paris started ringing at 11 a.m., exactly as it was 100 years ago, when the signed treaty between the Allied Forces — France, United States, Italy and Russia — and defeated Germany came into force to end World War I.
The armistice agreement was signed in a railway carriage located in the Forest of Compiègne, about 100 kilometers north of Paris. It is also known as the Armistice of Compiegne.
WWI, also called the Great War, started on July 28, 1914, involving citizens of more than 80 countries and taking the lives of more than 10 million soldiers.
Since Ukraine was then split between the Russian and Austro-Hungarian empires, Ukrainians participated in the war on opposite sides with hundreds of thousands of Ukrainians being killed.
The end of WWI galvanized the collapses of both empires and changed the usual world order.
Macron’s message
But just like in 1918, today’s Europe is also at risk as its values of democracy and multiculturalism are shaking under the rise of nationalism, Macron said during his speech under the Arc de Triomphe.
“Former demons came back. Today we have other problems,” Macron said at the ceremony. He had a blue cornflower attached to his jacket, a symbol of remembrance of the fallen soldiers in France.
Macron also warned countries to look for solutions against global threats such as poverty, diseases, hunger, and inequality.
These issues are to be discussed at the three-day Paris Peace Forum, a global top-level leadership forum that kicked off in Paris for the first time on Nov. 11.
However, Macron’s concerns are losing support in modern Europe as nationalist parties are now leading in a number of countries.
Also, Merkel, who is one of Macron’s main supporters among the European leaders, ends her term in office as a chancellor in 2021.
On Nov. 10, Macron and Merkel both unveiled a plaque to commemorate the Franco-German reconciliation in the Forest of Compiègne.
Trump tension
An event that is meant to unite world leaders has also witnessed some tension. Right before his arrival to Paris, Trump slammed Macron for his idea to create an independent European army. The U.S. leader wrote on his Twitter account that France should instead invest more of its budget into NATO.
Trump also canceled his trip on Nov. 10 to an American cemetery in France due to rainy weather. He was scheduled to lay a wreath and observe a moment of silence in honor of U.S. soldiers who died during World War I.
Another scandal emerged as Trump was on his way to the Arc de Triomphe. A pair of topless female protesters ran towards the motorcade carrying Trump. Their bodies were painted with the words “Fake peacemakers” as well as “Hypocrisy” according to various media.
Trump was also late to the ceremony but he made it in time before Putin’s arrival.
A day before Putin’s arrival to Paris to mark the 100-year-old peace deal, Russia’s war in Ukraine has taken the lives of two more Ukrainian soldiers. In addition, Russian-puppet self-proclaimed statelets will be holding so-called “elections” within Donetsk and Luhansk regions that are currently occupied by Russia.
The Kyiv Post trip to Paris was funded by the government of France
