Macron presses Trump on Hormuz and Ukraine as oil prices surge

Emmanuel Macron held talks with Trump shortly after arriving in New York on Monday for the United Nations General Assembly, describing their discussion as “very constructive”.

The French president said the two leaders had discussed ways of reopening the Strait of Hormuz, where maritime traffic has been severely disrupted since the outbreak of war involving Iran, Israel and the United States in February.

Around 20 percent of the world's commercial oil and gas trade normally passes through the narrow waterway between Iran and Oman, making its closure a major factor in rising energy prices.

“Several solutions were discussed which would, without the need for a comprehensive agreement, enable ways and means to be found to allow more container ships and tankers to pass through,” Macron told journalists.

World leaders gather at UN as wars, AI and climate change dominate agenda

Push to reopen Strait of Hormuz

According to a French diplomatic source, Paris wants to work with Washington and other partners on a UN Security Council resolution guaranteeing freedom of navigation through the strait.

UN member states could help secure maritime traffic, potentially allowing Washington and Tehran to focus talks on other disputes, including Iran's nuclear programme.

France and the United Kingdom have already set up a multinational initiative involving around 40 countries aimed at securing the strait, including through mine clearance. However, the mission would depend on a ceasefire and has so far attracted little interest from Trump.

France is also prepared to help protect Saudi Arabia's energy infrastructure following attacks on key oil facilities and transport routes.

A French diplomatic source told AFP that any involvement would be “strictly defensive” and could include protecting the Red Sea port of Yanbu and the East-West pipeline, a major export route for Saudi crude.

Iran-backed Houthi fighters have recently targeted Saudi Aramco facilities in Yanbu, while the pipeline has also been disrupted by drone attacks originating from Iraq, according to Riyadh.

“This is in no way about taking part in the conflict with the Houthis,” the source said.

Ukraine's allies gather in Paris as Kremlin dismisses 'coalition of warmongers'

Ukraine energy truce discussed

Ukraine was another major focus of Macron's talks with Trump, with the French president calling for faster and larger deliveries of air defence interceptor missiles to Kyiv.

Macron said he had held a lengthy discussion with Trump on “the need to provide our Ukrainian friends with even faster and more substantial assistance in terms of interceptors”.

Following separate talks with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, Macron posted on social media that the prospect of an “energy truce and a moratorium in the Black Sea” had also been raised.

“It is clear that today we must help the Ukrainian energy system and address the situation across the entire region,” he told reporters.

Macron did not specify whether such a truce would also require Ukraine to halt strikes on Russian energy infrastructure.

Trump said on Monday that Russia had “lost control of its diesel industry due to its war with Ukraine”, while again calling for an end to the conflict.

Turkey, increasingly concerned by attacks in the Black Sea, has meanwhile presented Kyiv and Moscow with proposals aimed at ending strikes on merchant vessels.

Ahead of his meeting with Trump, Macron had said he intended to speak “frankly” with the US president, particularly over Ukraine.

France and other European countries are seeking to ensure continued US support for Kyiv while increasing pressure on Moscow. They also want to remain closely involved in any negotiations over a settlement, particularly those concerning Ukraine's long-term security and the wider European security architecture.

Trump's envoys Jared Kushner and Steve Witkoff travelled to Kyiv earlier this month following a visit to Moscow in an attempt to revive US mediation.

So far, however, successive rounds of talks have failed to produce any concrete breakthrough.

(with newswires)