Angela Merkel and Emmanuel Macron have told Vladimir Putin to pull his forces back after the Ukrainian navy threatened to shoot Russian FSB boats harassing ships near the Kerch Strait.
The European leaders' demands came as Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky called for a summit with his Russian counterpart and a new ceasefire.
French President Macron hosted Zelensky for talks in Paris - later joined by German Chancellor Merkel by video conference - in a show of support for his pro-Western government in the face of Moscow's assertive stance.
The tensions have escalated seven years after the 2014 annexation of Ukraine's Crimea by Moscow and declaration of breakaway regions in eastern Ukraine by pro-Russian separatists prompted the worst decline in ties between Russia and the West since the Cold War.
Putin and Zelensky last met face-to-face in Paris in December 2019 for meeting hosted by Macron, and also attended by Merkel, which was credited with helping to reduce tensions in subsequent months.
The standoff took place between three Ukrainian Gyurza-M-class artillery boats and five unidentified vessels belonging to Russia's FSB coast guard service overnight between Wednesday and Thursday, according to Black Sea News editor Andrii Klymenko who monitors military activity in the area.
Russian vessels began making 'provocative manoeuvres' around the Ukrainian boats and only backed off after they threatened to open fire, Mr Klymenko reported. The incident happened within 25 miles of the Kerch Strait.
It comes amid a massive buildup of Russian troops along the border that observers fear could top 115,000 by Monday, sparking fears of an invasion amid calls from Joe Biden, NATO and European leaders to 'de-escalate'.
The Kerch incident has echoes of a 2018 clash between Ukraine and Russia in the strait which led to three Ukrainian ships being captured and Russia blocking the strait using a container ship, sparking a diplomatic crisis.
Just hours after the latest incident took place, Russia announced a blockade of waters near the strait - but denied that it would affect the strait itself, which it said remains open.
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