The presidents of France and Russia have raised the prospect of face-to-face talks over Ukraine as Paris tries to broker peace in Eastern Europe.
The Kremlin said Vladimir Putin and Emmanuel Macron would “promptly consider the possibility of meeting in person” after a phone call on Monday, their second in four days.
Mr Putin used the call to push Russia’s demands that Nato troops should not accumulate further near its borders — a condition largely rejected by the West, which blames Moscow for raising tensions by massing forces near Ukraine.
But France believes that “preventing an armed conflict at our gates” is “still possible”, said government spokesman Gabriel Attal after the call.
Asked whether Mr Macron was planning a trip to Moscow, Mr Attal told French television this was not yet decided but said: “I don’t rule it out.”
“The president will do whatever is needed to contribute to de-escalation,” he said
Mr Putin has not met a major western leader since tensions started to escalate over Ukraine, although he has spoken by phone to Mr Macron, German Chancellor Olaf Scholz and others.
UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson had been expected to call Mr Putin before travelling to Ukraine on Tuesday, but was sidetracked by the release of a scathing report into behaviour at his office during lockdown.
Mr Johnson, did not deny reports that the call had been postponed, telling MPs during a stormy debate on the report that he would speak to Mr Putin “as soon as I can”.
Mr Macron, who is expected to seek re-election in April, has stressed the need for dialogue with Russia to prevent war breaking out in Eastern Europe.
Talks between Russia, the US and Nato last month ended without a clear breakthrough, with Moscow showing impatience at the lack of progress.
Although Nato said it was willing to discuss some issues such as arms control, it flatly rejected Russia’s demand for a veto on future expansion of the alliance.
But Mr Macron’s office said some progress had been made in four-way talks between France, Germany, Russia and Ukraine, a group known as the Normandy format.
Those talks are aimed at ending the conflict in eastern Ukraine between Kiev's forces and pro-Russian separatists.
France and Germany will send their foreign ministers to Ukraine next week, with European powers keen to prevent the US and Russia from dominating talks.
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UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
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What are NFTs?
Are non-fungible tokens a currency, asset, or a licensing instrument? Arnab Das, global market strategist EMEA at Invesco, says they are mix of all of three.
You can buy, hold and use NFTs just like US dollars and Bitcoins. “They can appreciate in value and even produce cash flows.”
However, while money is fungible, NFTs are not. “One Bitcoin, dollar, euro or dirham is largely indistinguishable from the next. Nothing ties a dollar bill to a particular owner, for example. Nor does it tie you to to any goods, services or assets you bought with that currency. In contrast, NFTs confer specific ownership,” Mr Das says.
This makes NFTs closer to a piece of intellectual property such as a work of art or licence, as you can claim royalties or profit by exchanging it at a higher value later, Mr Das says. “They could provide a sustainable income stream.”
This income will depend on future demand and use, which makes NFTs difficult to value. “However, there is a credible use case for many forms of intellectual property, notably art, songs, videos,” Mr Das says.
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Employees: 200
Amount raised: $3m
Investors: Global Ventures and angel investors
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War 2
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Rating: 2/5
