By Michel Rose and Angelo Amante PARIS/ROME (Reuters) -French President Emmanuel Macron and Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni vowed to work jointly for a stronger Europe as they met on Tuesday following bilateral tensions over Ukraine,

Talks with Slovakia's Prime Minister Robert Fico centred on lasting peace in Ukraine while a working dinner with French President Emmanuel Macron was seen as an opportunity to find some common ground on issues where both leaders' positions have diverged.

Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni welcomed French President Emmanuel Macron to Rome with a firm handshake on Tuesday, a meeting that many interpreted as a sign of diplomatic rapprochement. The conversation between the two lasted three hours,