Nato summit begins with focus on defence spending as Zelenskyy and Trump due to meet - Europe live
Europe faces up to prospect US may be unable to arm Nato allies There are growing concerns in Europe that the US defence industrial base is no longer providing the weapons pledged to Nato allies with US stockpiles depleted owing to the conflicts in Ukraine and Iran, leaving allies to consider new avenues to arm and defend themselves. The US this year has delayed or cancelled deliveries of a series of key arms shipments to countries in Europe, including Tomahawk cruise missiles, Himars mobile roc
Le Pen says she will appeal against conviction and run for French presidency – Europe live as it happened
Far-right leader gives TV interview saying that she will appeal against part of today’s ruling which cast doubt on a presidential run
First published on Tue 7 Jul 2026 03.44 EDT- Marine Le Pen confirms she intends to run in 2027 presidential election, appeal parts of today's verdict – what we know so far
- Joint ticket framing makes it clear Bardella remains Le Pen's backup option – snap analysis
- Le Pen goes down the legal route she had previously ruled out – snap analysis
- Le Pen floats her 'pair' deal with Bardella as prospective prime minister
- Le Pen confirms she intends to challenge the verdict, run in 2027 presidential election
- Le Pen says she will appeal part of today's ruling
- Zelenskyy says Nato should let Ukraine join to ‘make all of us stronger’
- Nato says European core defence spending up 11% in 2026
- Nigel Farage resigning as UK MP amid scrutiny over donations - but says will stand in ‘people v establishment’ by-election
- Hungarian state news channel suspends broadcasting as part of post-Orbán overhaul
- Trump says 'very disappointed' with Nato, who was 'not there for us' on Iran
- Trump's comments are not new, but show how difficult this summit will be - snap analysis
- Trump says his relationship with Italy's Meloni 'soured a little bit' over refusal to help with Iran
- Trump says Putin, Zelenskyy 'both want to make a deal' on Ukraine war
- Macron declines to comment on Le Pen ruling
- Details of Le Pen's tag monitoring to be decided at a later date
- Le Pen arrives at RN's HQ for political talks on her future
- Le Pen not expected to comment until her prime time TV interview
- Intriguing verdict that poses gut-wrenching personal dilemma for Le Pen - snap analysis
- Le Pen leaves court without talking to reporters
- Ruling shifts the decision on Le Pen's presidential run from legal to political - snap analysis
- Paris court theoretically clears way for Le Pen presidential run, but with electronic tag, which she rejected as no-go
- Court in session to deliver verdict in Le Pen's appeal
- Le Pen arrives in court for her appeal ruling
- What to expect from Le Pen ruling in the coming hours?
- Marine Le Pen’s political future at stake with ruling on electoral ban this afternoon
- Russia following Nato summit with 'great interest,' Kremlin spokesperson says
- 'The hum of machinery must become a roar,' as Russia, China, North Korea 'increasingly working together' and 'do not have our best interests in mind,' Rutte warns
- Rutte speaks in Ankara as Nato two-day summit gets under way
- 'Important work' at Nato summit with focus on drone deals, air defence, Zelenskyy says
- 'I slept really well last night. And you?,' Belgian PM's cat mocks Trump after World Cup win, ahead of Nato summit
- At least 18 people injured in Damascus explosions near Macron's hotel
- Nato announces plans to invest in antidrone, surveillance capabilities
- Reports of explosions in Damascus, Syria, during France's Macron visit
- Europe faces up to prospect US may be unable to arm Nato allies
- Morning opening: Nato summit gets under way with focus on spending, capabilities
First published on Tue 7 Jul 2026 03.44 EDT- Marine Le Pen confirms she intends to run in 2027 presidential election, appeal parts of today's verdict – what we know so far
- Joint ticket framing makes it clear Bardella remains Le Pen's backup option – snap analysis
- Le Pen goes down the legal route she had previously ruled out – snap analysis
- Le Pen floats her 'pair' deal with Bardella as prospective prime minister
- Le Pen confirms she intends to challenge the verdict, run in 2027 presidential election
- Le Pen says she will appeal part of today's ruling
- Zelenskyy says Nato should let Ukraine join to ‘make all of us stronger’
- Nato says European core defence spending up 11% in 2026
- Nigel Farage resigning as UK MP amid scrutiny over donations - but says will stand in ‘people v establishment’ by-election
- Hungarian state news channel suspends broadcasting as part of post-Orbán overhaul
- Trump says 'very disappointed' with Nato, who was 'not there for us' on Iran
- Trump's comments are not new, but show how difficult this summit will be - snap analysis
- Trump says his relationship with Italy's Meloni 'soured a little bit' over refusal to help with Iran
- Trump says Putin, Zelenskyy 'both want to make a deal' on Ukraine war
- Macron declines to comment on Le Pen ruling
- Details of Le Pen's tag monitoring to be decided at a later date
- Le Pen arrives at RN's HQ for political talks on her future
- Le Pen not expected to comment until her prime time TV interview
- Intriguing verdict that poses gut-wrenching personal dilemma for Le Pen - snap analysis
- Le Pen leaves court without talking to reporters
- Ruling shifts the decision on Le Pen's presidential run from legal to political - snap analysis
- Paris court theoretically clears way for Le Pen presidential run, but with electronic tag, which she rejected as no-go
- Court in session to deliver verdict in Le Pen's appeal
- Le Pen arrives in court for her appeal ruling
- What to expect from Le Pen ruling in the coming hours?
- Marine Le Pen’s political future at stake with ruling on electoral ban this afternoon
- Russia following Nato summit with 'great interest,' Kremlin spokesperson says
- 'The hum of machinery must become a roar,' as Russia, China, North Korea 'increasingly working together' and 'do not have our best interests in mind,' Rutte warns
- Rutte speaks in Ankara as Nato two-day summit gets under way
- 'Important work' at Nato summit with focus on drone deals, air defence, Zelenskyy says
- 'I slept really well last night. And you?,' Belgian PM's cat mocks Trump after World Cup win, ahead of Nato summit
- At least 18 people injured in Damascus explosions near Macron's hotel
- Nato announces plans to invest in antidrone, surveillance capabilities
- Reports of explosions in Damascus, Syria, during France's Macron visit
- Europe faces up to prospect US may be unable to arm Nato allies
- Morning opening: Nato summit gets under way with focus on spending, capabilities
Marine Le Pen confirms she intends to run in 2027 presidential election, appeal parts of today's verdict – what we know so far
French far-right leader Marine Le Pen has doubled down on her intention to run in the 2027 presidential election in France, saying she will appeal against part of today’s ruling as she maintained her innocence (20:08, 20:13).
She argued the appeal would effectively suspend the contentious requirement to wear an electronic tag, and she previously said she considered campaigning with a tag impossible (20:43).
There are some questions about whether this strategy would be ultimately truly effective or if it is just a move to play for time. France’s highest court is seen as likely to rule on the appeal before the election, which could confirm the tag requirement (20:55, 21:08).
Le Pen is likely to portray her fight against the verdict as an attempt to let the French people “have the final word” on her candidacy, keeping the pressure on the judiciary to let her campaign freely (20:18).
Speaking on TF1 TV, Le Pen launched a campaign website and said she would run on what would effectively be a joint ticket with the National Rally president Jordan Bardella as her preferred candidate to be France’s next prime minister (20:36).
Bardella is widely seen as the NR’s back-up candidate if Le Pen was forced to drop out of the race, and a joint campaign would allow them to campaign together (21:19).
Joint ticket framing makes it clear Bardella remains Le Pen's backup option – snap analysis
One could argue that Le Pen’s move to openly frame her campaign as a joint ticket with Bardella as her preferred prime minister could also serve another purpose.
This means that should a court decision make it untenable for her to stay in the race further down the line – for example, if her appeal to the highest court goes against her before the formal race begins – Bardella will be fully ready to step in. He would have an already functioning campaign machine behind him: the same one she is, or they are, building now.
It allows her to remain the lead candidate for now and rally her electorate in the early stages, while keeping an elegant – and minimally disruptive – route to drop out later as a “plan B”.
With polls suggesting they can motivate different groups of the electorate, it gives them some flexibility to make the most of their slightly different profiles in a bid to maximise the support the can get for the joint ticket.
Le Pen goes down the legal route she had previously ruled out – snap analysis
Le Pen had previously ruled out going to France’s highest court, the court of cassation – which has said that if it was asked to assess the case it would rule before the election – arguing that the uncertainty would jeopardise her party’s chances.
But Le Pen announced on Tuesday evening that she was indeed taking her case to the highest French judicial authority, saying she wanted to “exhaust all the legal avenues available to me in order to defend my innocence in this case” and arguing “the people will decide”.
Taking her case to the highest court meant the appeal court’s order that she wear an electronic ankle tag would not be applied until a final ruling was handed down, she said, adding: “Tonight, I am a candidate in the presidential election.”
The RN had already started preparing for the possibility that her 30-year-old protege, Jordan Bardella, would be its candidate instead. But Le Pen’s decision defers that possibility at least until the court de cassation delivers its verdict.
Polls suggest either RN candidate, Le Pen or Bardella, would comfortably win the first round, due on 18 April.
Forecasts for the runoff are divided, with some polls suggesting a centrist candidate, the former prime minister Édouard Philippe, could emerge victorious.
After the court’s verdict earlier, I said the verdict moved Le Pen’s decision back from being a legal issue to being a political issue (14:20) with the central question of whether she could she credibly run given she repeatedly said she wouldn’t if forced to wear a tag?
But Le Pen seeks to reframe this question through a typically anti-establishment lens.
She says she will pursue all possible remedies to delay or overturn the application of the most contentious element – the tag – in a bid to run her campaign freely.
She is arguing that the ultimate decision on whether someone in her legal position could or should be elected president should be with the French people, and only with the French people.
So, she says, she will be the candidate. She is determined.
But with the Court of Cassation previously saying it would be able to decide on this appeal before the election, what happens if they reject her appeal and indeed make her wear the tag? That would essentially bring us back to the original question.
Le Pen appears to be effectively doubling down on her narrative: either you remove the contentious element and let me run freely, or you risk interfering with the electoral process.
Cynics might argue that this is a powerful hook for her campaign, even if she eventually has to wear the tag.
It looks like Le Pen doesn’t want to waste any time: she is already planning a joint appearance with Bardella tomorrow morning, effectively launching her pre-campaign, BFMTV reported.
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
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’
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.
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.
Coverage from 9 sources
- Nato summit begins with focus on defence spending as Zelenskyy and Trump due to meet - Europe liveGuardian - World · Jakub Krupa · Jul 7, 2026, 11:13 AM
- Appeals court set to rule on whether Marine Le Pen can run in next French presidential election - Europe liveGuardian - World · Jakub Krupa · Jul 7, 2026, 11:45 AM
- Paris court clears way for Marine Le Pen presidential election run but under conditions she rejects - Europe liveGuardian - World · Lucy Campbell (now); Jakub Krupa (earlier) · Jul 7, 2026, 4:01 PM
- Nato claims big rise in European defence spending as Trump says he is ‘very disappointed’ with it over Iran - Europe live
Coverage by lean
- Unknown9
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