Macron heads to Kyiv after talks with Putin

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, left, and French President Emmanuel Macron prior to their talks in Kyiv, Ukraine. Pic/AP

Diplomatic efforts to defuse the tensions around Ukraine continued on Tuesday with French President Emmanuel Macron expected in Kyiv the day after hours of talks with the Russian leader in Moscow yielded no apparent breakthroughs.

Macron will meet Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy as fears of a possible Russian invasion mount. Moscow has massed over 1,00,000 troops near Ukraine's borders, but insists it has no plans to attack Ukraine. The Kremlin has demanded guarantees from the West that NATO will not accept Ukraine and other former Soviet nations as members, halt weapon deployments there and roll back its forces from Eastern Europe - demands the US and NATO reject as nonstarters.

Western leaders in recent weeks have engaged in high-level diplomacy in the hope of de-escalating tensions and preventing an attack. Macron met Russian President Vladimir Putin on Monday for more than five hours. The leaders emphasized the need for more talks. Putin noted US and NATO have ignored Moscow's demands, but signaled his readiness to continue negotiations. He also warned Ukraine's accession to NATO could trigger war between Russia and the alliance. "If Ukraine becomes a NATO member and moves to reclaim Crimea, European countries will automatically be drawn into a military conflict with Russia," Putin said, noting "there will be no winners."

"We tried to build converging elements," Macron said. "The upcoming days will be crucial and deep discussions together will be needed." He said it's Europe's duty to find a solution to try to rebuild good-neighbourly ties with Russia.

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