Le Pen says she will appeal against conviction and run for French presidency – Europe live

Key events

Le Pen’s conviction that she will still be able to stand as a candidate and campaign freely appears to hinge on the assumption that an appeal to the Court of Cassation suspends the application of the verdict, including the critical requirement for her to wear an electronic tag.

“I will therefore campaign without an electronic bracelet,” she claimed.

However, significant questions remain over whether that is indeed the case, and the political risk if the appeal gets rejected before or during the campaign, effectively still forcing her to wear the tag.

The Court of Cassation prevously said it would be able to rule before the presidential election.

But she is not giving up just yet, that’s for sure.

Le Pen floats her 'pair' deal with Bardella as prospective prime minister

In her interview, Le Pen also made it clear that she considered her candidacy a package deal with Bardella as the candidate for the post of the prime minister if she wins – “a pair”, she calls it – saying it is a “complementary, balanced, coherent, and solid” partnership.

This was sort of to be expected: given it’s her life’s work to get her party to this point (14:25), Le Pen doesn’t want to be giving up the idea of running in next year’s presidential election.

She appears to be going down a similar route to that taken by Nigel Farage in the UK earlier today: saying that ultimately it’s a decision for the electorate, and all she wants is to be able to campaign freely so they can make that choice.

Asked if she is not worried about the backlash from the electorate after she was found guilty again today, she says the ultimate decision will be with the French people and "they will have the final word” on this.

Asked if Bardella was disappointed that she still intends to run in 2027, she says that’s not the case – “you are too accustomed to typical political class,” she says – and insists they are working hand in hand, fighting to change France.

Le Pen confirms she intends to challenge the verdict, run in 2027 presidential election

Le Pen says her mind remains clear that she cannot run a campaign if told to wear an electronic tag, but repeats that she will seek to appeal against that part of today’s verdict.

She says the tag element can be suspended by her further appeal.

Asked if, as of tonight, she confirms her intention is to run in 2027.

She even anounces a campaign website, asking her supporters to sign up.

Le Pen says she will appeal part of today's ruling

Le Pen is speaking now on TF1.

She insists she is still innocent and disagrees with the court’s ruling which says her assistants engaged with the French, not European, politics, and will appeal part of it to the Court of Cassation.

But she says she is happy the court gave the French people the freedom to vote in the election by shortening the ineligiblity element.

As we get closer to Marine Le Pen’s 8pm prime time interview, the French attorney general said she would make her decision on whether to appeal today’s decision “next week,” RTL reported.

Zelenskyy says Nato should let Ukraine join to ‘make all of us stronger’

Defence and security editor
in Ankara

Meanwhile, Volodymyr Zelenskyy has argued for Ukraine to be allowed to join Nato at its annual summit – saying it would be wrong to exclude a country that had built up strong defences in its long struggle against the Russian invasion.

The Ukrainian president said his country had developed almost all the weapons it needed, and now only required European help in developing an alternative to the US Patriots to protect against ballistic missile attack.

“I have a question for you. Do you really believe it? Do you really believe it would be right to leave outside Nato, a country and a people with this level of defensive capability?” Zelenskyy said at Nato’s defence industry forum.

“If we already have these capabilities, if Ukrainians already know how to fight like this, then it does make sense for these capabilities to become a part of the alliance’s collective defence that would make all of us stronger.”

Ukraine is in the fifth year of fighting off the invasion by its larger neighbour. The conflict has reached the point where Russia’s rate of advance has ground to a crawl and Kyiv is able to attack economic targets as far afield as Siberia.

However, Ukraine’s aspiration to become a member of Nato remains far off, with allies including the US not interested in allowing a country at war with nuclear-armed Russia to become part of the western military alliance.

Le Pen to give TV interview

I am back to guide you through the evening and that much awaited Marine Le Pen interview on TF1 in just under 40 minutes, where she is expected to give her first reaction to today’s court verdict on her appeal.

I will bring you all the latest here.