The central themes of the meeting between Putin and Macron 1:06
(CNN) --
French President Emmanuel Macron officially announced Thursday his candidacy for the country's presidential election later this year.
In a letter sent to regional media outlets, Macron highlighted the crises France faced during his first term, including terrorism, the covid-19 pandemic and the Russia-Ukraine conflict.
He promised a "unique French and European response" to the challenges, saying he would defend France's values that are threatened by "world disturbances."
The charter included promises to fight inequality by prioritizing education, as well as pursuing green goals.
However, he admitted that "because of the context" he will not be able to attend the campaign events as he wanted.
Due to the war in Ukraine, the president has already canceled the first event of his campaign scheduled for this Saturday.
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Macron made the announcement just before the March 4 deadline to have 500 endorsements from French mayors or regional councillors.
He had previously promised to wait until the crises around Covid-19 and Ukraine were resolved before launching his campaign.
The first round of the French election is scheduled for April 10, with a second round on April 24 if no candidate receives more than 50% of the initial vote.
Among the 10 other candidates who have so far reached the endorsement threshold to enter the presidential race are two far-right candidates: Marine Le Pen, who ran against Macron in the second round in 2017, and Eric Zemmour, a former TV commentator. television twice convicted of inciting hatred.
If Macron is re-elected, he would be the first sitting French president to win re-election in two decades.
From CNN's Joseph Ataman and Camille Knight in Paris
Emmanuel Macron