Macron to launch re-election race, as rivals face pro-Russia allegations

A Greenpeace activist wearing a Macron mask at the Paris agriculture fair. The president cut short his visit, usually a big event on the political calendar. Photograph: Geoffroy van der Hasselt/AFP/Getty Images

The French president, Emmanuel Macron, is expected to launch his campaign for re-election this week in a race shaken by the war in Ukraine, with key candidates under attack over previous pro-Russia stances.

Macron has left the official declaration of his candidacy to the last minute because of the war, but he must make a move before the 4 March deadline to register.