Europe Marks World War I Armistice Amid Concerns Over Ukraine-Russia War

by Stefan J. Bos, Worthy News Europe Bureau Chief

BRUSSELS/PARIS/BUDAPEST (Worthy News) – Europe marked the end of World War I with mixed emotions Tuesday, realizing that the armed conflict in Ukraine increasingly resembles the horrors of that era.

Belgium unveiled a renovated memorial in Ypres, France’s President Emmanuel Macron paid tribute in Paris, and Britain held wreath-laying ceremonies for Armistice Day, marking the end of the First World War.

In Belgium, King Philippe honored veterans and fallen soldiers during a service for the Unknown Soldier at the base of the Congress Column in Brussels. The grave also pays tribute to Belgians who died in humanitarian missions and peacekeeping efforts since 1945, as well as victims of both world wars. Later, officials in Ypres unveiled a renovated memorial at the Menin Gate, which bears the names of thousands of missing World War I soldiers — a symbol of the war’s immense human cost.

In France, President Macron presided over a ceremony at the Arc de Triomphe to mark the 107th anniversary of the 1918 Armistice, paying tribute “to all those who died for France.” Earlier in the day, he unveiled a plaque at the Invalides in memory of Alsatians and Mosellans who fell during World War II. The commemoration included wreath-laying, the tolling of a bell for the dead, and a minute of silence.

“Peace is never guaranteed; it must be defended every day,” Macron said, warning that Europe must remain united “as new forms of war return to our continent.”

Across Britain, known for its Remembrance Day observances, ceremonies were held nationwide. Queen Camilla laid a wreath at Paddington Station in London, while Kate, Princess of Wales, did the same at the National Memorial Arboretum in Staffordshire. A solemn service was also held at The Cenotaph in London, where veterans and military representatives gathered to honor the fallen.

Between 1914 and 1918, the armies of France, Britain, Russia, Italy, and the United States fought against Germany, Austria-Hungary, and the Ottoman Empire. The war claimed the lives of up to 10 million soldiers, many of whom lie in unmarked graves.

This year’s remembrance came as Europeans reflected on the growing parallels between the trench warfare of World War I and the ongoing devastation in Ukraine, where the continuing full-scale invasion by Russia soon sees its 4th birthday. More than 1 million people are estimated to have been killed and injured in the fighting, most of them soldiers, underscoring the fragile peace the Armistice was meant to secure.

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