gordy, this is stuart's may 3rd on d, w. ah, ah, this is d w. news ally from berlin, france chooses of president. manuel mccaul seeks another 5 year term, but faces a strong challenge from his far right opponent marine le pen, also coming up ukrainian celebrate orthodox easter. despite the war that's ground on for 2 months, senior us officials are due in chief for talks with president to landscape. ah.

and welcome to our viewers around the world. i'm michael. ok. we begin in france, where voters are casting their ballads in a tightly contested presidential election run off opinion polls suggest pro europe the manual. nicole is on course for another 5 year term in the eliza palace. but his far right opponent marine le pen has mounted a strong challenge. victory for her could shake the foundations of european unity. ah, it's election day and francis bracing for the lip pen, my car, show down the stakes. a huge lip pen would become more and francis 1st far right leader and 1st female president of my call would be the 1st french president to win re election into decades. much will depend on how many people will show up to vote

in a country that's deeply divided. was you see that several, i blemish macklin. i'm not a fan of my call, but i think it's the only democratic option. in the video. look, we have seen how they have restricted our freedoms these last years, especially during the pandemic. i'm not sure if people are aware of this, but i think unfortunately, we will continue on this path if my call as we elected it on monday, the excruciating is the supporters of left wing candidate jaundra, milan shaw, who came 3rd and round one who feel particularly frustrated, they no longer have a left wing option. now their vote or a low turn out has the potential to tip the scales. michael has tried to appeal to these voters by toning down parts of his manifesto, like the plan to push up the retirement age from the current 62 to 65 different so we can fix a lower targeting. i'm open to discussion with one kid. meanwhile, the pen has also tried to gather more support by continuing to depict herself as

the candidate closest to the people are shocked phone. i want to tell every french person that my project is tailor made for them what i want them to be happy and prosperous safe and i will defend their identity. it was sheila, the for the lovely. don't you think all opinion polls in recent days point towards a wind for the 44 year old pro european centrist michael le pen victory, however, is still possible and would sent shock waves across europe. these are lewis is in paris for us. i asked her what mood she sensing from voters to day stay the course sure. bring on change. well, let me live, been talking to you have been telling me that it's important for them to actually block marina pan from getting to power is some are convinced that in my, my call will adapt his course, his program it more to left wing voters because he's seen that when i saw at the

far left candidate escort a quite well in the 1st round of fighting. and they think that he had a mom, a call has understood that he needs to change his program, introduce more social measures, more ecological measures actually to satisfy those voters. other people have told me that they are not really happy about waiting for in my my call that, that, that, but that their feel that there is no other option for their mind. you the people i've been talking to have all said that they would wait for my call, or at least they, the others have not reveal to me that they would wait for marina pen. but this is really very much my cor heartland here in paris because my call has caught quite well in big cities and marilla pen would rather school well in the country side, that's at least what happened in the 1st renovating 2 weeks ago. we've heard it certainly for weeks now. my call is expected to win, but i imagine not a few people are on the edge of their seats. wondering if there'll be a surprise to night. especially if the unusually large number of undecided voters

sit this selection out, in which case i suppose anything could happen while absolutely you're right now, especially as they were upholds showing a few weeks ago that there could be a neck and rate neck race between the 2 candidates, that wasn't the case 5 years ago in 2017 would everybody, all the pulses and alice, he and france were saying there is no chance that marina pan could win. now the pulls have twain changed again over the past 2 weeks. and in my, my call has increased his lead. but as you're saying, there are 2 variables that could change the outcome. very low part of about voting participation. or as those that haven't decided who have who they would vote for yet actually these 10 percent of 8 us. this is the 2nd time that mac hall and le pen are facing each other in the runoff. reminders what's different this time?

well, what's different is that marina pan has been she managed to increase at the share of the voters that would vote for her, you know, over the past few months, she's been campaigning through towns to remark is telling everybody that you know, she was the candidate closest to the people, the candidate that would increase her spending power. she was also helped by another candidate court exam more who seemed even further to the right. he was campaigning very much with outright racist slogans. and so that had, and mary independent p a softer and a thirdly a my, my call really stayed away from, from the campaign trail for a long time until the 1st round of voting. that is because then he understood that he needed to do more actually to wind over voters. hearts about the bottom line of this is really that marilla pan has now maybe the polls are not saying not predicting that she will win the selection, but her share of the vote could be a lot higher than 5 years ago when she was already facing him. i'm

a co on the run of food, and that means that my car really needs to do something to bring this country back together to satisfy those voters. you only vote for him to day to prevent marina penn from getting to power. no doubt will be seeing a lot more of you in the coming hours are d. w corresponded lisa lewis. thank you. ukraine's president for lot of miss zalinski is due to meet with top us officials in the coming hours. so lensky says she'll be asking secretary of state antony, blinkin, and defense secretary lloyd austin for more weapons to fight the russian onslaught in the south and east. earlier the president recorded an orthodox eastern message from eve, saint sophia cathedral at makeshift houses of worship ukrainians. nationwide grade for front line troops and for civilians besieged in cities such as mary ople. o. earlier i asked her d. w, corresponded rebec readers in keith. what to lensky could expect, again,

from his meeting with the leaders of the pentagon and us shake department. well, this is the highest level meeting from the us since the war began. i don't have a list of talking points is, is obviously a very confidential mating. one thing he can definitely expect is a guarantee from the americans of continued support in this conflict. and certainly one the one thing he wants can really be summed up in one word, michael and that is weapons from the very beginning of this conflict. president lance, he has been calling for support in the way of weapons saying that if they had the right weaponry, they would already have pushed back the russians and they would already be winning this war. he's going to be at pains to underscore and to, to really drive home to the americans that this is a turning point in the conflict. this regrouping. this focus on the east and south that the russians have now confirmed. that is the, is their plan. he said,

what happened, he believes at what happens now in this part of the conflict will determine not just the future of ukraine on the ukrainian people, but potentially the future of europe. and that is a message he will be driving home to the americans today. rebecca, of course, securing those weapons, is one thing, but one imagines physically distributing them to the areas where they're most needed will be extraordinarily challenging. ah, absolutely. as you can imagine, i'm big weapons and also trying to do it under the cover of darkness. this war a, you know, is one of course, where nobody wants the, the distribution, the logistics to become public. you know, ukraine does not want russia to know just how and where these weapons are going. and so we getting mine a bits of information about what's trickling into the country. but in terms of the distribution lines or logistics rates, we just don't have the answers to those questions. you know, they're being transported by rail and road did see some tanks. the other day on a train rail gotten going through the country,

but they going through civilian areas. michael, so obviously a target and nobody wants the russians to know where they're going. and rebecca, stay with us. so more questions for you in a moment, but 1st we'd like to give of yours a look at your report on ukraine as the nation. marx, orthodox easter day. you visited one village, northeast of key that was under russian control until a few weeks ago. that community came together to build a makeshift chapel after russian soldiers destroyed their church. oh, on recall and reflection the jesus who sacrificed all to die on the cross. it's the saddest day in the christian calendar for the worship is here in this village outside keith there. good friday service in this night shift chatham has taken on an even deeper meaning this year. oh, russian soldiers marching on keith. then there 19th century church to the ground.

claudia pro with you, all the missile hit the altar of the church on the eastern side of the building for the damage spread inside. the windows exploded out sidney. it was a direct hit me was ladder cool when the church was burning, i thought my soul was burning. the icon of the prophet elijah, the only thing to survive when i was with alyssa, it survived under the ruins, is re, you know, under the ashes completely hellish. him. well, it's a phenomenon. yeah. and i don't know how to explain it that way. it's me. a miracle in the middle of war. unless not all those the water gravel, mars people in the village said, father, we cannot be without you prima. we need the services. the item that i told them you, let's build a tent so we can celebrate easter for more mobile and possible written our boss than we started to build this chapel. you know, shall we, can you imagine what the, which a song of the sort of severe ukraine is a deeply religious country in villages like this one, the church plays

a central role in the community. these people tell me that while russians may have destroyed their church, they will never destroy their spirit. like the churches themselves, we grew up here eco, when the church was burning right before our eyes, we were very scared of one of the scariest thing of all was that we couldn't do any things. and then because we were under fire at da da da, in some way all my childhood was spent here. i grew up 3 houses down the road. so how should i feel like it's like something is gone from your life. i usually live in town. they, val, they'll rebuild their beloved church in all its former glory. once they're certain, the russians won't return one law if they do, the priest has a message straight from the bible or squad causes. jesus said, love one another. as i have loved you. i was the bill, but he also said something else, injury he who fights by the sword full shall die by the sword. why did all that now? i v as the service ends, they pray for christ. we born on easter sunday,

a church rebuilt, and doubtless for a homeland free once again. i mean, lydia, i, rebecca to day as ukraine endures now the 3rd month of the russian invasion, our people spending this rather extraordinary orthodox easter had suddenly is an easter like no other michael we've been here. i'm standing on the full court. in fact of saint michael's church, it's one of the biggest cathedral here in cave. had there been a lot of people here today streaming in an hour. we've been speaking to some of them, asking them whether they're afraid this year because of the height and security. the heightened threats of a potential attack, many people saying that they are concerned, understandably, of course, but that they're happy to be able to come out and celebrate their faith as they do every year. we have notice of course, the service is different this year. normally there is

a midnight mass the night before that would have been last night, but that was cancelled because of marshall lower on the curfew in the city or all over the country. so they've changed it so that their services all throughout the day to be able to disperse the crowds. they were warned to stay at home and try and celebrate their. but as you can imagine, many people wanting to come out and, and celebrate their faith, which they doing. and so far it has been safe. dw correspondent, rebecca readers in keith. some sport now and bind munich, extend their reign as bonus league champions. they've sealed a record, tend to german tidal with victory over dorothy robert levin. doff sky was among the goal scores against his former club as by and ran out 31 winners. it's a 1st bonus, legal title for their coach julian na guzman at just 34 years old. your watching d. w. news is a reminder of our top story at this. our opinion polls suggest french president

manuel mac always on course. we're 2nd 5 year term. but his far right opponent marine le pen has mounted a strong challenge in sunday's election runoff. again, dw news live in berlin. our documentary series stop fil is coming up next. this time about one of the world's best known railways, the glacier express, is plenty more now website d, w dot com, micheal oak, who in berlin, more news at the top of the next hour and what interest the global economy? our portfolio, g w. business beyond. here the closer look at the project, our mission to analyze the fight for market dominance, get us to the head with the w business beyond.