Macro sees upcoming days crucial over crisis with Ukraine

Russia, which invaded Crime from Ukraine in 2014 and supports separatists east of the country, seeks security guarantees, including a promise that NATO will withdraw some soldiers from nearby countries and never accept Kiev into the alliance.

Washington has rejected these demands, but says he is willing to talk about gun control and the steps of confidence building, while powers clash over their sphere of influence in post-Cold War Europe.

Macron, who has postponed his diplomatic credentials while watching a possible re-election after two months, held more than five hours of talks during dinner Monday with the Russian president.

The next “Days will be crucial and will require intensive discussions that we will follow together”, Macron told reporters.

Putin suggested that some progress had been made in the summit.

“A number of ideas, his proposals, which are probably too early to talk about, I think it is quite possible to set the basis for our further joint steps,” he said.

After Russia, Macron will meet with Ukraine's leadership, the next stop in his visit to the region, and scheduled for Tuesday.

While Russia collects more than 100,000 troops near the Ukrainian border, it has said it is not planning an invasion, but may take undefined military action if its security requirements are not met. She sees NATO's addition of 14 new members of Eastern Europe since the end of the Cold War three decades ago as a violation in its sphere of influence and a threat to its security.

Last week, Biden ordered nearly 3,000 American troops to deploy to Poland and Romania to better protect NATO's eastern arm. Germany announced on Monday that it would deploy 350 troops in Lithuania to reinforce a NATO militant group.

On her second visit to Kiev in three weeks, German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbox pledged clear support, stressing that Germany was willing to pay a high economic price to control Moscow.

Ukrainian officials have publicly criticised Berlin for refusing to sell defence weapons to Kiev and for its perceived reluctance to prevent gas flow through Russia's Nord Stream 2 gas pipeline if Moscow launches an attack.

Nord Stream 2 is designed to double the amount of gas flowing from Russia to Germany, bypassing the traditional Transit Ukraine.

President Joe Biden reiterated on Monday a US threat that the energy project, which is still pending final approval, will not continue if Russia begins an invasion in Ukraine. He did not specify how he would provide this.

European countries depend heavily on Russian energy, the high prices for which they are already promoting inflation.

Central Bank chief Christine Lagarde warned last week of geopolitical “” on the European economy.

Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba said that “a genuine conversation” with Baherbock about weapons had found “a common base and a draft solution”, but did not provide details, Reuters broadcast.