MACRON FLIES TO MOSCOW IN BID TO EASE UKRAINE TENSIONS

French President Emmanuel Macron flies to Moscow on Monday in bid to persuade Russian President Vladimir Putin to dial down tensions with Ukraine, where Western powers fear the Kremlin plans an invasion.

Moscow gave the visit a guarded welcome, saying it would listen to Macron’s ideas, but played down expectations of a breakthrough. Russia denies planning an invasion, but says it could take unspecified military measures if its demands are not met, including a promise by NATO never to admit Kyiv.

Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said Russia was aware of Macron’s plans to ease tensions. But he added: “The situation is too complex to expect decisive breakthroughs in the course of one meeting.”

“In recent days there has been nothing new on the topic of security guarantees for Russia, our Western interlocutors prefer not to mention this topic,” Peskov added.

Macron phoned Western allies, Putin and Ukraine’s leader ahead of the visit, and will follow up on Tuesday with a trip to Kyiv, staking a lot of political capital on a mission that could prove embarrassing if he returns empty-handed. “We have to be very realistic,” Macron told the Journal du Dimanche in an interview in the build-up to the mission. “We will not obtain unilateral gestures, but it is essential to prevent a deterioration of the situation before building mechanisms and reciprocal gestures of trust.”

Two sources close to Macron said one aim of his visit was to buy time and freeze the situation for several months, at least until a “Super April” of elections in Europe- in Hungary, Slovenia and in France.