Bells tolled across France and Europe on
Sunday as President Donald Trump and other global leaders gathered to
honor the dead of World War I and heed its harsh lessons to prevent
conflicts.
French President Emmanuel
Macron, who has criticized Trump's "America First" foreign
policy, decried excessive "nationalism" at the root of World War I and
successive conflicts.
"Nationalism is a betrayal of
patriotism," Macron told a gathering of world leaders, including
Russian President Vladimir Putin, German Chancellor Angela Merkel
and Trump. “Nationalism is a betrayal of patriotism by saying, ‘Our
interest first, who cares about the others?’ "
Hosting
an event to mark the centennial of the armistice that ended World War
I, Macron told fellow leaders they have a "huge responsibility" to
defeat modern forces that threaten a "legacy of peace" from the two
world wars of the past century.
"I know there are old demons coming back to the surface," the French president said. "They are ready to wreak chaos and death."
Macron did not refer specifically to Trump, who occasionally frowned during the speech.
Trump
did not respond to Macron publicly.
During a speech later Sunday at a
World War I-era cemetery, Trump praised the French leader for hosting
the event he called "very beautiful" and "well done."
In
defending "America First," Trump has often said the United States needs
to address its own needs. air."
Read more: France -World War I commemoration: Macron rebukes nationalism at commemoration