Macron says Putin assured him of no escalation in Ukraine, Russia denies

French President Emmanuel Macron said he’s won agreement from Vladimir Putin that Russia won’t escalate the standoff with Western nations over Ukraine. The Kremlin spokesman said that’s not so clear. 

Macron met with Putin for more than five hours in Moscow on Monday and at a joint press conference the two leaders said they had agreed to work toward a “new security order” for Europe. But they offered little detail on what that new arrangement might involve and Putin’s spokesman denied the two leaders had reached any deal.

The Russian government has repeatedly denied that it has any plans to invade Ukraine.