The meeting between Emmanuel Macron and Donald Trump on the Middle East and Ukraine was “very constructive”, according to the French president
Half an hour to address, among the most important subjects, the situation in the Red Sea and the war in Ukraine. This is how long the meeting lasted, Monday September 21 in New York, between Emmanuel Macron and Donald Trump, on the sidelines of the Annual General Assembly of the United Nations.
“We had a very good discussion”the French president told journalists, after the exchange which took place in Trump Tower. “ It was very constructive, there was great availability and we were able to go into detail on these two conflicts which are obviously important for world peace and for our security, and which have a direct impact on the purchasing power of the French.”continued the head of state.
The two leaders discussed in particular how to “better security” oil sites in the Red Sea and “the need to help our Ukrainian friends even faster and stronger in terms of (missiles) interceptors »explained Mr. Macron.
Before the meeting, the French president had promised to speak “in all honesty” to his American counterpart to try to “guide him towards the right decisions” particularly regarding Ukraine, according to his entourage. For the French side, it was particularly a question of trying to convince its American counterpart to “maintain the effort to support Ukraine” and of “strengthen the pressure to be exerted on Russia”.
“Helping the Ukrainian energy system”
The Europeans ask the United States to remain fully committed to a settlement of the conflict, with American participation in the negotiations alongside them and those of kyiv. They also demand security guarantees, that is to say an American commitment sufficiently solid to deter a new Russian attack after a possible cease-fire.
Donald Trump’s emissaries, Jared Kushner and Steve Witkoff, visited kyiv for the first time in September to relaunch American mediation in this deadliest conflict in Europe since the Second World War. They had previously visited Russia several times, which has intensified its air strikes against Ukraine and in particular its capital, kyiv, since the summer. But several rounds of tripartite negotiations in the past have not led to any concrete progress.
Emmanuel Macron, who was to meet in the evening with his Ukrainian counterpart, Volodmyr Zelensky, also spoke of “initiatives” which could be taken “to find a moratorium on energy issues”.
“We clearly see that today we must help the Ukrainian energy system and the situation in the entire region”he underlined, without specifying whether this moratorium would also concern Ukrainian strikes against Russian energy infrastructure.
Reopen the Strait of Hormuz
Regarding the Middle East, Emmanuel Macron proposed several initiatives to Donald Trump to try to stem the surge in oil prices. The French president reported, upon leaving, a “desire to reopen Hormuz”through which 20% of global hydrocarbon trade passes, and “free up volumes”.
“Several solutions were mentioned (…) which would make it possible, without having a global agreement, to find ways and means to pass more container ships and tankers”he told journalists.
France wants “work with the Americans and its partners on a UN Security Council resolution guaranteeing freedom of navigation in the Strait of Hormuz”then clarified a diplomatic source.
UN member states could thus participate in securing maritime traffic in the strait, in order to allow Washington and Tehran to continue their discussions on other contentious subjects, in particular the Iranian nuclear program.
France is also ready to work towards “security” of Saudi energy infrastructure targeted by the Houthis in Yemen, in a “strictly defensive approach”specified the cited diplomatic source.
