Macron Arrives in Moscow to Meet Putin to Discuss Ukraine Crisis

French President Emmanuel Macron arrived in Moscow on Monday for talks with his Russian counterpart, Vladimir Putin.

Macron expressed his "moderate optimism without expecting any miracles" about the meeting.

"I expect the meeting with moderate optimism, but I do not believe in instant miracles," Macron said on board the French presidential plane before arriving in Moscow, according to the "BFM" channel.

The French President  is on a visit to Moscow before heading to the Ukrainian capital, Kiev, on Tuesday, against the backdrop of tension over Ukraine and Western allegations about a possible Russian invasion of it.

Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said that tension in Europe, the situation around Ukraine and the file of Russian proposals on security guarantees will be at the top of the agenda of talks between Putin and Macron.

However, the American newspaper, Politico, said that French President Emmanuel Macron is relying, through his talks with his Russian counterpart, on a peace agreement to settle the Ukraine crisis in order to obtain the status of a European leader as a "peacemaker."

And if he succeeds, he will be the hero who prevented an attack on Ukraine and put Europe back on the map, all in time for the French presidential election next April.