Leaders meet around the globe hoping to calm Ukraine crisis

French President Emmanuel Macron, (right), welcomes Russian President Vladimir Putin in Bormes-les-Mimosas, France in 2019. Pic/AP

International efforts to defuse the standoff over Ukraine intensified Monday, with French President Emmanuel Macron set to hold talks in Moscow and German Chancellor Olaf Scholz in Washington to coordinate policies as fears of a Russian invasion mount.

The concentration of an estimated 1,00,000 Russian troops near Ukraine has fueled Western worries that it heralds a possible offensive. White House national security adviser Jake Sullivan warned Sunday that Russia could invade Ukraine "any day," triggering a conflict that would come at an "enormous human cost."

Russia has denied any plans to attack its neighbour, but is urging the U.S. and its allies to bar Ukraine and other ex-Soviet nations from joining NATO, halt weapons deployments there and roll back NATO forces from Eastern Europe. Washington and NATO have rejected the demands.

Macron, will meet Russian President Vladimir Putin before visiting Ukraine Tuesday, said last week that his priority is "dialogue with Russia and de-escalation." Before heading to Moscow, Macron had a call Sunday with US President Joe Biden. They discussed "ongoing diplomatic and deterrence efforts in response to Russia's continued military build-up on Ukraine's borders, and affirmed their support for Ukraine's sovereignty and territorial integrity," the White House said. The French presidency said Macron sought to ensure "good coordination" with Biden in the call.

"The security and sovereignty of Ukraine or any other European state cannot be a subject for compromise, while it is also legitimate for Russia to pose the question of its own security," Macron said in an interview to French newspaper Journal du Dimanche published on Sunday.

Putin's spokesman, Dmitry Peskov, described Macron's visit as "very important," but sought to temper expectations, telling reporters that "the situation is too complex to expect a decisive breakthrough after just one meeting.

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