"Russia doesn't want a ceasefire", says French president Macron

French President Emmanuel Macron on Friday said that “the last few hours have shown that Russia doesn’t want a ceasefire."

Russia and Ukraine were holding their first direct peace talks in three years, in the Turkish port city of Istanbul, but officials and observers expected them to yield little immediate progress on stopping the more than three-year war.

"We must push towards this path and build a just and lasting peace for Ukraine," Macron told leaders gathered for a summit of the European Political Community.

Speaking in Albania, Macron also urged leaders from across Europe to unite to combat economic challenges from outside, including the Trump administration’s tariffs.

“We would be much stronger if we coordinated, with a market of 700 million residents and consumers,” he said.

The sixth European Political Community summit kicked off on Friday under the theme "‘New Europe in a new world: unity – cooperation – joint action".

47 heads of state and government have been invited to the summit taking place in Albania's capital Tirana.