France would not respond with a nuclear weapon even if Russia uses one against Ukraine, Emmanuel Macron said last night.

Mr Macron said French nuclear doctrine only allows the weapons to be used in the case of a direct threat to the country or its 'fundamental interests'. 

'They are defined clearly and wouldn't be directly affected at all if, for example, there was a ballistic nuclear attack in Ukraine [or] in the region', the French President told national TV.

Emmanuel Macron has urged Vladimir Putin to "come back to the table" and promised to deliver air defence systems to Ukraine, in the midst of a massive new Russian bombing campaign.

In a television interview, the French president criticised his Russian counterpart for having made the "choice" to involve Europe more in the war with the recent missile strikes and the general mobilisation order to reinforce the army.

"Today, first of all, Vladimir Putin must stop this war, respect the territorial integrity of Ukraine and come back to the discussion table," he told public television channel France 2 on Wednesday night.

This week's Russian missile bombardment targetting energy infrastructure and civilians was an attempt to break Ukrainian resistance, the president said, explaining his earlier comment that the escalation brought the war into a new phase.

Macron defended his refusal to break off dialogue with the Russian leader since the February invasion, despite criticism of his stance including from Ukrainians, saying he would continue to talk to Putin "whenever necessary".

France will deliver radar and air defence systems to Ukraine in the coming weeks, in particular to help Ukraine protest itself from drone and missile attacks, French President Emmanuel Macron said on Wednesday.

Speaking in an interview on France 2 television, Macron did not give any details on what type of anti-aircraft missiles or how many would be delivered.

A wave of attacks on Ukrainian cities this week has raised the stakes, with Kyiv demanding its partners provide more supplies, including air defence systems - something Paris has been unwilling to do so far.