Emmanuel Macron has issued a hard-hitting warning about the dangers of nationalism and of countries that put their interests before the collective good – in front of Donald Trump and Vladimir Putin.

The French president denounced those who evoke nationalist sentiment to disadvantage others, calling it a “betrayal of patriotism” and moral values.

The US and Russian leaders listened in silence as Mr Macron took a swipe at the rising tide of populism in the US and Europe, warning: “The old demons are rising again, ready to complete their task of chaos and of death.”

During a gathering of dozens of world leaders to mark 100 years since the end of the First World War, the French president went on: “Patriotism is the exact opposite of nationalism. Nationalism is a betrayal of patriotism.

“In saying, ‘Our interests first, whatever happens to the others’, you erase the most precious thing a nation can have, that which makes it live, that which causes it to be great and that which is most important: its moral values.”

The US president, who has repeatedly declared himself a nationalist, sat stony-faced.

Mr Trump defended his use of the phrase just last week, saying: “You know what the word is? I love our country. You have nationalists. You have globalists. I also love the world and I don’t mind helping the world, but we have to straighten out our country first. We have a lot of problems.”

More than five dozen heads of state and government had gathered today at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier at the base of the Arc de Triomphe in Paris, a century after guns fell silent in the war that killed millions of people.

In a speech lasting nearly 20 minutes, Mr Macron also called on fellow leaders to fight for peace.

The old demons are rising again, ready to complete their task of chaos and of death Emmanuel Macron

“Ruining this hope with a fascination for withdrawal, violence or domination would be a mistake for which future generations would rightly find us responsible,” he said.

The French leader also defended the European Union and the United Nations, which he said guaranteed peace and enshrined “a spirit of cooperation to defend the common property of a world whose destiny is inextricably linked”.

German Chancellor Angela Merkel also had a veiled dig at Mr Trump’s America-first policies and his scepticism over multilateral cooperation, saying that “lack of communication and unwillingness to compromise” can have deadly consequences.

Making an impassioned plea for world peace and cooperation 100 years after Germany’s defeat in the First World War, she said “we must not simply stand by and watch” as more conflicts continue to unfold around the world.

It is our duty to preserve the civilisation they defended Donald Trump

She denounced the “national vaingloriousness and military arrogance” that led to the “senseless bloodshed” of two world wars, and warned against taking peace for granted, saying: “We have to work for it.”

In his own speech, Mr Trump paid tribute to US and allied soldiers killed in the First World War.

“We are gathered together at this hallowed resting place to pay tribute to the brave Americans who gave their last breath in that mighty struggle,” he said at the Suresnes American Cemetery and Memorial in Paris, where more than 1,500 American war dead are buried.

“It is our duty to preserve the civilisation they defended and to protect the peace they so nobly gave their lives to secure one century ago.”

On Friday, Mr Trump had described a call by Mr Macron for a European army to defend Europe from China, Russia and even the US as “very insulting”.

But Mr Putin said it made sense for a powerful economic bloc such as the EU to want to defend itself militarily.

Centenary of Armistice – in pictures Show all 30 1 /30 Centenary of Armistice – in pictures Centenary of Armistice – in pictures The moat of the Tower of London filled with thousands of lit torches as part of the installation 'Beyond the Deepening Shadow: The Tower Remembers', marking the centenary of the end of the First World War Reuters Centenary of Armistice – in pictures Poppy tributes outside Liberton Kirk in Edinburgh PA Centenary of Armistice – in pictures 36,000 leaf-shaped messages are hung from St. Patrick's Cathedral ceiling in Dublin, remembering the 36,000 Irish men and women who died in World War I PA Centenary of Armistice – in pictures Colour Sgt Paul Harris of the 3pwr reservists salutes beneath a wooden sculpture of a First World War horse in the grounds of Canterbury Cathedral in Kent following a service of dedication for their Field of Remembrance PA Centenary of Armistice – in pictures Staff from Cardiff Castle dressed in period WWI dress, look around the newly opened Commonwealth War Graves Commission replica cemetery and exhibition, which has been installed at the castle to mark the centenary of Armistice. The 330 headstones placed in the courtyard represent the more than 30,000 Welsh men and women who gave their lives during the First World War PA Centenary of Armistice – in pictures The Weeping Window poppy installation, by artist Paul Cummins and designer Tom Piper, is pictured outside of the Imperial War Museum in London, ahead of Armistice Day. Weeping Window is a cascade comprising several thousand handmade ceramic poppies seen pouring from a high location to the ground below AFP/Getty Centenary of Armistice – in pictures Yeoman of the Guard light the first torches Getty Centenary of Armistice – in pictures Three men take a moment to look at the Lions of the Great War monument in Smethwick, West Midlands. The 10-foot high bronze figure of a Sikh soldier is the UK's first statue of a World War soldier from South Asia, and commemorates 100 years since the end of the war PA Centenary of Armistice – in pictures Veterans attend the opening of the Edinburgh Garden of Remembrance in the city's Princes Street Gardens PA Centenary of Armistice – in pictures Chelsea Pensioner Roy Palmer, aged 79, in his ceremonial uniform as a retired member of the British army with 6 foot 'Tommy' figures at the Royal Hospital Chelsea in London, for the 'There But Not There' campaign to commemorate the upcoming centenary of the end of World War I. World War I ended on November 11, 1918 and 'There But Not There' is the 2018 Armistice project for the charity Remembered AP Centenary of Armistice – in pictures Yeoman Warders, commonly known as 'Beefeaters' light the first of thousands of flames in a lighting ceremony AFP/Getty Centenary of Armistice – in pictures Sixteen thousand poppies that have been installed on the exterior of Liberton Kirk in Edinburgh to mark the centenary of armistice at the end of the First World War PA Centenary of Armistice – in pictures Soldiers from 3RSME, the Royal School of Military Engineering, look at a piece called 'Lost Soldiers', which has been created by artist Mark Humphrey and is on display at Montgomery Square in Canary Wharf, London, as part of its Remembrance Art Trail to mark the centenary of the end of the First World War PA Centenary of Armistice – in pictures The Swindon Borough Council Tommy silhouette on display inside St Augustine's Church, Wiltshire, where 1300 poppies hang from the roof to represent the lives lost in the local area during World War I PA Centenary of Armistice – in pictures 93-year-old veteran Elizabeth Mitchell lays a wreath at the opening of the Edinburgh Garden of Remembrance in the city's Princes Street Gardens PA Centenary of Armistice – in pictures 'The Haunting', a six-metre high sculpture depicting a weary First World War soldier, on display in St. Stephen's Green, Dublin, after it's official unveiling to commemorate the centenary of the ending of World War I PA Centenary of Armistice – in pictures Lieutenant General Sir Andrew Gregory, Master Gunner of St James's Park, reads a section from the Royal Artillery's Armistice Roll of Honour, containing the names of their fallen World War One comrades, in the Morning Chapel inside Salisbury Cathedral, Wiltshire PA Centenary of Armistice – in pictures Volunteers light torches that are part of the installation 'Beyond the Deepening Shadow' at the Tower of London Reuters Centenary of Armistice – in pictures A soldier from 3RSME, the Royal School of Military Engineering, looks at a piece called 'Lost Armies', which has been created by artist Mark Humphrey and is on display at Jubilee Park in Canary Wharf PA Centenary of Armistice – in pictures A Chelsea Pensioner stands with 6 foot 'Tommy' figures at the Royal Hospital Chelsea in London, for the 'There But Not There' campaign AP Centenary of Armistice – in pictures Luke, Nathan and Frankie from Hornchurch and Upminster Sea Cadets, look at a piece called 'ANA', which has been created by artist Mark Humphrey and is on display at Adams Plaza in Canary Wharf PA Centenary of Armistice – in pictures Thousands of flames in the dry moat of the Tower of London PA Centenary of Armistice – in pictures The figure of a First World War soldier sits on a central reservation in Woolton Village, Liverpool marking the cemtenary of the end of the war PA Centenary of Armistice – in pictures Crosses and poppies placed in the Edinburgh Garden of Remembrance in the city's Princes Street Gardens PA Centenary of Armistice – in pictures British General Lord Richard Dannatt, front center, the retired former Chief of the General Staff, head of the British army, poses for a group photograph with Chelsea Pensioners, serving soldiers, serving airmen and women, Royal Navy reservists, military veterans and 6 foot 'Tommy' figures at the Royal Hospital Chelsea in London, for the 'There But Not There' campaign AP Centenary of Armistice – in pictures A Yeoman of the Guard stands amongst lit torches Reuters Centenary of Armistice – in pictures Canon Nick Fennemore, Chaplain of Winchester Cathedral, looks at the woollen poppies hung on the railings outside the Cathedral in Hampshire to recall the poppy fields of Flanders. The installation will remain until 19 November, as part of First World War commemorations PA Centenary of Armistice – in pictures The UK Parliament and German Bundestag choirs commemorate the centenary of the Armistice which ended the First World War, at the Houses of Parliament PA Centenary of Armistice – in pictures Members of the public at the unveiling of a new war memorial in Hamilton Square in Birkenhead. The bronze statue of an exhausted soldier, created by Jim Wheelen and The Birkenhead Institute Old Boys, was inspired by poet Wilfred Owen who died in the First World War 100 years ago today Centenary of Armistice – in pictures The St Paul's Cathedral remembrance field, which was opened to commemorate the end of the First World War 100 years ago PA

“Europe is a powerful economic entity, a powerful economic union, and it is quite natural that it wants to be independent, self-sufficient and sovereign in matters of defence and security,” Putin told RT television’s France network, which Mr Macron has singled out for criticism.

As well as spelling out the horrific costs of conflict to those with arsenals capable of waging a third world war, the ceremony also served up a reminder of the sweetness of peace, when school pupils read from letters that soldiers and civilians wrote 100 years ago when guns fell silent on the Western Front.

The armistice commemorations were followed by the opening of a three day international peace forum that Mr Macron had promoted, attended by dozens of leaders including Ms Merkel.