Mr Putin accused Nato of “hiding behind” its open door policy which “contradicts the fundamental principle of the indivisibility of security”.

Emmanuel Macron held a call with Mr Biden late on Wednesday night and on Thursday is expected to hold his third phone call with Mr Putin in recent days, as the French president attempts to spearhead the European side of the negotiations.

Mr Macron hinted he could head to Moscow to meet with the Russian president in person depending “on progress in our discussions in the coming hours”.

Moscow has amassed more than 100,000 troops on the border with Ukraine, and Mr Putin has threatened “military-technical measures” if Nato does not pull back from Eastern Europe and bar Kyiv from ever joining.

In response to the crisis, the US yesterday announced troop deployments that will see a force of 1,700 move from Fort Bragg, North Carolina to Poland. Another several hundred will go to Germany.

A further 1,000 US troops from a Stryker squadron already stationed in Germany will be repositioned to Romania.

The Pentagon said the moves, which were not permanent, would happen in the coming days.

The White House added it would no longer describe an invasion of Ukraine as “imminent”, which it has done repeatedly.

Spokeswoman Jen Psaki said: “We still don’t know that he [Mr Putin] has made a decision.”