Macron tells Trump diesel export ban 'bad' for fuel prices

French President Emmanuel Macron said Thursday he had warned US President Donald Trump that a possible American ban on diesel exports would inevitably raise fuel prices, describing the proposed move as "bad" during their meeting at the UN General Assembly earlier this week.

Speaking to French broadcasters TF1 and France 2, Macron noted that France maintains no direct dependence on US oil supplies. "We are not directly dependent" on American oil, he said, adding that such a decision "would raise prices" across global markets.

"I told him that this decision would be bad," Macron said, referring to his bilateral meeting with Trump in New York. The US president said Tuesday he supported restricting diesel exports, though Energy Secretary Chris Wright warned Wednesday that an outright ban would prove unworkable and could push up domestic gasoline and jet fuel prices.

France bolsters energy security

Macron outlined steps Paris is taking to prevent fuel shortages amid disruptions linked to the ongoing blockade of the Strait of Hormuz. "We are doing everything to avoid fuel shortages," he said, noting that France has replenished national gas stocks and maintains strategic oil reserves.

The French leader added that Paris would convene G7 partners to assess whether coordinated releases from strategic petroleum reserves might be necessary to ease market pressures in coming weeks. "We will look at whether, at that time, it is necessary to release stocks again to ease the market," Macron said.

Military deployment and threat assessment

Macron also announced the deployment of French military assets to protect a critical energy installation in Saudi Arabia. "We will send military resources, soldiers, radar, defense systems to protect this site," he said, without specifying the location or timeline for the mission.

The president addressed rising concerns over potential Russian hostile actions, explicitly denying a report that the CIA had warned French intelligence of an imminent drone attack on southern France. "The CIA did not inform the French secret services" of such a threat, Macron said, though he added that "we are facing a worrying situation" and that an attack "could happen."

Macron said Russia is carrying out an increasing number of "hostile and sometimes criminal acts" against European targets, citing last month's security incident at Leipzig airport as a possible template. Spanish daily El Mundo reported Wednesday that several European governments had received CIA warnings regarding possible Russian drone operations targeting Spain, France, or Italy; the report has not been independently confirmed.