French President Emmanuel Macron (R) and Russian President Vladimir Putin at a meeting in Berlin, Germany, January 19, 2020. (File photo: AFP/VNA)

Macron said sincere negotiations are incompatible with an escalation in tensions over Ukraine.

The two discussed ways to move forward on the implementation of the Minsk Agreements as well as conditions for security and stability in Europe.

In a phone call the same day, Putin and his US counterpart Joe Biden agreed to continue dialogue on the Ukrainian issue.

Putin again complained that the West has been arming Ukraine and that Kyiv authorities have been “sabotaging” Western-brokered peace agreements to end a years-long conflict in eastern Ukraine.

Biden warned Putin that the US and its allies will respond "decisively and impose swift and severe consequences" on Russia should Putin decide to invade Ukraine. However, he affirmed that the US is ready to cooperate diplomatically with Russia on this issue.