Emmanuel Macron meets Vladimir Putin over Ukraine row

French President tells Russian counterpart that he seeks to avoid war and build trust

French President Emmanuel Macron, the top Western leader to visit Moscow since Russia began massing troops on the border with Ukraine, told Vladimir Putin at the start of talks in the Kremlin on Monday that he aimed to avoid war and build trust.

Mr. Macron told the Russian president he was seeking a "useful" response "that of course allows us to avoid war and to build bricks of trust, stability, visibility". Mr. Putin, for his part, said Russia and France shared "a common concern about what is happening in the security sphere in Europe".

"I see how much efforts the current leadership of France and the President personally, is applying in order to solve the crisis related to providing equal security in Europe for a serious historical perspective," Mr. Putin said.