Ukraine crisis: Macron says the days after Putin's summit will be crucial

During his first Moscow summit with a Western leader since Russian troops massed on Ukraine's borders, Mr Putin hinted that progress had been made.

Moscow has denied any invasion plans.

Western powers, on the other hand, have grown increasingly apprehensive about the likelihood of a conflict.

According to US officials, Russia has gathered 70% of the armed troops required for a full-scale invasion.

In a meeting with German Chancellor Olaf Scholz in Washington on Monday, President Joe Biden threatened to cut off a crucial Russian gas pipeline to Germany if Moscow invaded Ukraine.

Boris Johnson, the British Prime Minister, has also expressed his support for sanctions. He went on to say that the UK was considering deploying Royal Air Force aircraft and Royal Navy warships "to protect south-eastern Europe" in an article published in The Times on Tuesday.

A number of Moscow's demands have already been rejected by Western countries, including that the Nato defence alliance rule out Ukraine's membership and diminish its military presence in eastern Europe.

Instead, they've recommended alternative areas for discussion, such as conversations about reducing nuclear weapons.

Mr Macron told reporters that the coming days will be "decisive" and "demand extensive discussions that we will pursue together" after speaking with Mr Putin over a five-hour dinner that included reindeer with sweet potatoes and blackberries.

Some of Mr Macron's plans "may form the basis of additional collaborative initiatives," Russian President Vladimir Putin said, adding that it was "probably still too early to talk about."

After the French president visits Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky on Tuesday, the two are expected to speak again. "We shall determine our own subsequent moves," Mr Putin said after meeting with French President Emmanuel Macron in Kyiv.

After that, President Macron will go to Berlin to meet with German Chancellor Angela Merkel and Polish President Andrzej Duda.

Mr Putin warned during a tense press conference in Moscow that if Ukraine joins the Western military alliance Nato and attempts to reclaim Crimea, which Russia took eight years ago, Europe might be drawn into a big conflict.

He questioned French reporters, "Do you want France to confront Russia?" "That is exactly what will happen. There will be no winners in this game."

According to the Associated Press, Chancellor Scholz warned reporters in Washington that "a lot more may happen than they've possibly counted with themselves" and that "Russia must recognise that a lot more could happen than they've probably calculated with themselves."

Mr Scholz, who is on his first trip to Washington since becoming chancellor and has faced criticism for his handling of the Ukraine crisis, said the US and Germany were "absolutely united" on sanctions against Russia if it invaded Ukraine, saying, "We will do the same steps and they will be very, very hard to Russia."

He was, however, more vague on Nord Stream 2 than US Vice President Joe Biden, who stated that "if Russia invades," the US "would bring a stop" to the controversial project, which will quadruple Moscow's gas shipments to Germany.

In response to a query about how he would accomplish this, Mr. Biden said, "I guarantee you, we will be able to do it."

The $11 billion (£8 billion) Nord Stream 2 pipeline took five years to build and cost $11 billion (£8 billion), but it has yet to start operating after German regulators claimed it did not comply with German law and halted its clearance in November.