Updated

French President Francois Hollande has paid his respects to the fallen of World War I on Paris' Champs Elysees avenue for Armistice Day.

The French leader attended a solemn and chilly Friday morning ceremony at the famed Arc de Triomphe to mark 98 years since the Allies claimed their bloody victory.

Decorated French veterans stood in silence as Hollande laid a large floral wreath at the foot of the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier in remembrance of the millions who gave their lives during the 1914-18 conflict that ended on Nov. 11.

The Great War — one of the deadliest conflicts of the modern era — claimed over 1 million French lives.