French President Emmanuel Macron's recent statements are "inflaming" tensions in Europe and show he is readying France for a direct role in the Ukraine war, the Kremlin said on Friday.

The French leader has taken an increasingly hawkish line in his support for Kyiv, promising on Thursday to transfer Mirage fighter jets to the embattled country and

Russian prosecutors on Friday requested that a French man accused of collecting information about the military be placed in pre-trial detention pending a court hearing on charges of breaking Russia's "foreign agents" law, his lawyer told AFP.

Laurent Vinatier, a French national who works with the Geneva-based Center for Humanitarian Dialogue, was

Russia's Central Bank held interest rates unchanged on Friday, despite inflation running well ahead of its target and repeated warnings that a surge in military spending is overheating the economy.

The bank kept its key rate at 16% but signaled it could hike borrowing costs in the future if the pace of price rises does not slow down. Inflation is