French President
Emmanuel Macron this week faces the first major test of his policy of directly engaging with
Russia that has disturbed some European allies, as he hosts a summit seeking progress in ending the
Ukraine conflict.
Joined by German Chancellor
Angela Merkel, Macron will bring together
Russian President
Vladimir Putin and his Ukrainian counterpart Volodymyr Zelensky for their first face-to-face meeting at an afternoon summit at the Elysee Palace in
Paris on Monday.
The stakes are high: this will be the first such summit in three years and while
diplomats caution against expecting a major breakthrough, a failure to agree concrete confidence-building steps would be seen as a major blow to hopes for peace and also Macron's personal prestige.