French president’s statement that Russian leader vowed not to escalate crisis met with scepticism in Kyiv

Emmanuel Macron completed a whirlwind diplomatic mission to Moscow and Kyiv on Tuesday, claiming he had received personal assurances from Vladimir Putin that Russia would not worsen the crisis over Ukraine.

Speaking after talks with Ukraine’s president, Volodymyr Zelenskiy, in Kyiv, Macron said Putin had made clear during discussions on Monday that he would not be the one to escalate tensions. The standoff could take months to resolve, Macron added.