Europe 'violating democratic norms'

The Kremlin slammed the court's ruling as a demonstration of Europe's politically-motivated "violation" of democratic norms.

Le Pen has long faced accusations of being too close to the Kremlin, of advancing Russian narratives and of relying on Moscow for political and financial support.

When asked about the court's decision, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said: "More and more European capitals are going down the path of violating democratic norms."

"We do not want to interfere in France's internal affairs and we have never done so," Peskov said.

"But our observation of European capitals shows that they do not shy away from stepping outside the bounds of democracy in the political process," he added.

A French parliamentary report, published in June 2023, denounced what it called the "long-standing" link between Le Pen's National Rally party and Russia.

It also criticised "frequent contacts" between party figures and Russian officials and described the outfit as a "communication channel" for Moscow.

Le Pen denounced the report as "dishonest" and "politicised."