Emmanuel Macron has made a surprise visit to Riyadh, where Saudi Arabia agreed to provide France with additional diesel for “as many months as necessary” amid an energy crisis and unrest over the cost of living at home.
The French president met Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman in the Saudi capital to discuss energy supplies, security co-operation and infrastructure projects. Macron is the first Western leader to visit Saudi Arabia since Houthi attacks against the kingdom intensified this month.
The Élysée said the trip was intended to demonstrate France’s solidarity with Saudi Arabia and continue efforts to secure and diversify hydrocarbon supplies.
Macron has faced criticism in France over the Gulf tour, which comes after days of rioting fuelled by high living costs. Energy prices have remained elevated as a result of the US-Iran war and Iran’s blockade of the Strait of Hormuz.
Defending the visit, Macron told reporters he was “doing his job” and seeking to “ease tensions” over petrol prices, which have contributed to the unrest.
“There must be no sign of febrility,” he said. “I am fulfilling my role. I am at my post.”
France secures additional diesel supplies
The amount of diesel Saudi Arabia will provide was not disclosed. The agreement follows commitments reached earlier during Macron’s Gulf tour.
The United Arab Emirates has pledged to supply about 100,000 tonnes a month, while a further 100,000 tonnes monthly is expected to be secured in Bahrain. Including Saudi deliveries, France now has commitments for 295,000 tonnes a month, representing just over 10 per cent of its consumption, according to the French presidency.
Macron and the crown prince also agreed to consult on expanding security co-operation and developing infrastructure that could bypass the blockaded Strait of Hormuz.
France is separately sending military assets to Saudi Arabia under an earlier agreement to help protect the Red Sea port of Yanbu, which has come under attack from the Iran-backed Houthis, also known as Ansar Allah.
The UK announced on Tuesday that it would deploy fighter jets to help defend Saudi Arabia. Both countries have described their support as purely defensive, although analysts have warned that the deployments could draw the two European states further into the protracted Saudi-Houthi conflict.
