BRUSSELS, Dec 19 - Europe will have to re-engage in direct talks with Russian President Vladimir Putin if the latest U.S.-led efforts to broker a Ukraine peace deal founder, French President Emmanuel Macron said on Friday.

European leaders wary of Putin's future military ambitions ‍have ​smarted at their exclusion from peace talks led by U.S. President Donald Trump's administration, ‍compelled instead to shore up Ukraine's negotiating positions from the sidelines.