Emmanuel Macron brought together eight European leaders and the heads of NATO and EU bodies in a mini-summit at the Elysée on Monday, less than a week after Washington and Moscow agreed to begin 'immediate' negotiations to end the conflict.

French President Emmanuel Macron painted a veneer of European unity by inviting a small number of handpicked European leaders to the Elysee Palace, while the Trump administration sidelined the continent by moving ahead with direct negotiations on Tuesday with Russia on the war in Ukraine.

European Union foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas said on Thursday that interactions between the United States and Russia showed Moscow had not given up its territorial goals in Ukraine, and that appeasing it would send a dangerous signal.