French President Emmanuel Macron urged his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin to "listen to reason" on Ukraine, accusing Moscow of becoming "a force of global destabilization" after it loosened its rules on using nuclear arms.

Axar.az reports that, citing Le Monde, speaking to journalists after the G20 summit in Rio de Janeiro, the French leader said: "I want truly to call here on Russia to listen to reason. As a permanent member of the United Nations Security Council it has responsibilities."

He said he had asked Chinese President Xi Jinping during a meeting at the G20 to "use all his influence" with Putin to try to achieve a de-escalation.