Russia Ukraine war latest:Macron still won’t rule out Western troops on ground as Russians head to polls

Ukrainians living in regions illegally annexed by Russia are being coerced to vote in the presidential election of their wartime occupier, Vladimir Putin — an exercise denounced by Ukraine as an illegitimate effort by Moscow to tighten control over its neighbor.

Polls are open in four annexed regions of Ukraine close to the front line, some of which are not fully in Putin’s control.

The election is taking place under highly distorted and restrictive conditions. Many Ukrainians fled these regions – or were deported by Russia – after Putin’s invasion two years ago, and there are reports of people being forced to vote at gunpoint. There are no international election observers in Ukraine.

The Pope issued a fresh condemnation of all wars on Wednesday, days after backlash from Kyiv and Western capitals for appearing to suggest that Ukraine should surrender and negotiate peace with its Russian invader.

Pope Francis told Swiss broadcaster RSI that Ukraine should “show the courage of the white flag” and open talks with Russia, but his deputy Cardinal Pietro Parolin clarified in a Tuesday interview that Russia should first halt its aggression.

Alvise Armellini reports:

Vladimir Putin is poised to sweep to another six-year term in this week’s presidential election, even though Russians are dying in Ukraine in a war grinding through its third year and his country is more isolated than ever from the rest of the world.

The all-but-certain outcome comes through his rigid control of Russia established during his 24 years in power — the longest Kremlin tenure since Soviet leader Josef Stalin.

Mr Putin, 71, has silenced virtually all dissent through harsh new laws that impose heavy fines or prison on independent voices. Critics have succumbed to unexplained deaths or fled abroad. The ballot features three other token candidates who publicly support his policies.

How is the war affecting the election? Report:

Russian citizens will spend this weekend casting their vote for their next president, even though the result has already been decided.

No amount of votes against him can prevent his victory, say the Russian dissident community, since the system is rigged and those that could challenge him have either been killed, imprisoned or exiled.

The GPS signal of the plane was said to have been interfered with for half an hour while it passed the Russian territory of Kaliningrad, which sits between Poland and Lithuania.

The defence secretary was aboard an RAF Dassault 900LX Falcon jet, named Envoy, on the way back from Poland on Wednesday when the attack took place. The aircraft’s flight path was visible to trackers.

More in this report from our political correspondent Archie Mitchell and international editor Chris Stevenson:

French president Emmanuel Macron warned Western powers against showing any signs of weakness to Russia as he reiterated his position yesterday that sending Western troops into Ukraine shouldn’t be ruled out, though he said today’s situation doesn’t require it.

In an interview on French national television TF1 and France 2, Mr Macron was asked about the prospect of sending Western troops to Ukraine, which he publicly raised last month in comments that prompted pushback from other European leaders who stressed they had no plans to do so.

“We’re not in that situation today,” he said, but added that “all these options are possible.”

Emmanuel Macron said France would never initiate an offensive against Russia, and that Paris was not at war with Moscow, despite the fact that Russia had launched aggressive attacks against French interests in and outside France.

“The Kremlin regime is an adversary,” he said, declining to call Russia an enemy. He also said Vladimir Putin making threats about nuclear strikes was “not appropriate”.

Nato allies are warning Hungary of the dangers of its “close and expanding” relationship with Russia and if this is Budapest’s policy choice “we will have to decide how best to protect our security interests”, the US envoy to Hungary said on Thursday.

Relations between Budapest and Washington have soured because of Hungary’s foot-dragging over the ratification of Sweden’s Nato accession – finally passed by Budapest last month – and also over nationalist premier Viktor Orban’s warm ties with Moscow despite the Russian invasion of Ukraine.

“These legitimate security concerns – shared by Hungary’s 31 allies – “cannot be ignored,” US ambassador David Pressman said in a speech marking the 25th anniversary of Hungary’s membership of Nato. Mr Pressman said Hungary was an ally “that behaves unlike any other”.

“It [this speech] is about a government that labels and treats the United States an ‘adversary’ while making policy choices that increasingly isolate it from friends and allies. This speech is about a long-time friend and ally saying and doing things that undermine trust and friendship,” he said.

Tensions between Orban’s government and president Joe Biden’s administration have worsened in the past weeks as Mr Orban openly endorsed Donald Trump’s bid for the US presidency after meeting the Republican in Florida. Mr Orban praised Mr Trump as the only US presidential candidate who could end the war in Ukraine – by cutting off military aid to Kyiv.

Budapest opposes Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, but Orban has refused to send weapons to Kyiv and repeatedly criticised EU sanctions against Russia. His government has kept up close relations with Moscow – partly due to Hungary’s continued energy dependence on Russia.