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 is set to meet with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy as fears of a possible Russian invasion mount. Moscow has massed over 100,000 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 U.S. and NATO reject as nonstarters.

Western leaders in recent weeks have engaged in high-level diplomacy in the hope of de-escalating the tensions and preventing an attack. Macron sat down with Russian President Vladimir Putin on Monday for talks that lasted more than five hours.

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After the long meeting, the two leaders emphasized the need for more talks, while also registering their disagreements. Putin noted that the U.S. and NATO have ignored Moscow's demands, but signaled his readiness to continue the negotiations.

He also warned that Ukraine's accession to NATO could trigger a 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 that "there will be no winners.

Also read: Russia-Ukraine tensions: 10 developments you should know

First Published:Feb 8, 2022 6:12 PM IST