Tulle (France) (AFP) - French President Francois Hollande on Saturday said a current Franco-German bid to end the Ukraine conflict was "one of the last chances" of avoiding "war" in the ex-Soviet nation.

"I think it's one of the last chances ... If we fail to find a lasting peace agreement, we know the scenario perfectly well: it has a name, it is called war," the French leader said while on a visit to southern France.