MOSCOW ¨C Russian President Vladimir Putin said he was prepared to keep negotiating over Russia¡¯s security demands in Eastern Europe but offered a stark warning over the possibility of a full-scale war between Russia and the West ¡ª using a five-hour meeting with his French counterpart on Monday to keep the world guessing about his intentions.
Putin said that proposals made by President Emmanuel Macron of France in their one-on-one meeting at the Kremlin were ¡°too early to speak about¡± but could create ¡°a foundation for our further steps.¡± Macron, in a joint news conference with Putin after their hastily scheduled meeting, described the coming days as potentially decisive in heading off what the West fears could be a Russian invasion of Ukraine.
¡°We are in a situation of extreme tension, a degree of incandescence that Europe has rarely known in the past decades,¡± Macron said.
With your current subscription plan you can comment on stories. However, before writing your first comment, please create a display name in the Profile section of your subscriber account page.