Germany and the United States are "absolutely united" on sanctions against Russia, German Chancellor Olaf Scholz said in Washington after his meeting with US President Joe Biden.

Meanwhile, as Euronews writes, the Telegraph reports, all eyes are on Emmanuel Macron, who met with Vladimir Putin in Moscow on Monday, while diplomatic efforts are intensifying in an effort to ease tensions over Russia's military deployment on the Ukrainian border.

And Putin praised his French counterpart, saying "some ideas" could lead to progress in mitigating Moscow's clash with the West - over Ukraine.

Ahead of the meeting, the French president said his visit would focus on dialogue and de-escalation - rejecting the compromise on the security of European states while respecting Russia and its concerns.

Europe is facing its most serious security threat since the Cold War, EU foreign policy chief Josep Borrell warned on Monday, still voicing hope for a diplomatic solution to the Russia stalemate over Ukraine.

Western countries accuse Russia of planning a possible invasion of Ukraine - which Moscow denies, arguing that it only wants to guarantee Russian security by halting NATO's eastward expansion.

Russia has amassed 130,000 troops on the Ukrainian border and is conducting joint combat exercises with its ally Belarus.

The French president - who has spoken to Putin by telephone three times in recent days - held a 40-minute phone call with Biden on Sunday ahead of his trip to Moscow to plan a coordinated approach, Elysée said.

Over the weekend, Macron also spoke with UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson, NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg and the leaders of the three Baltic states.

After meeting with Russian leader Emmanuel Macron, he will visit Kiev on Tuesday and meet with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy.

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