Macron visits Saudi Arabia as Riyadh pledges additional diesel to France
The French president met Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman during an unscheduled stop in Riyadh. The Élysée said Saudi Arabia agreed to provide additional diesel, but gave no volume.
French President Emmanuel Macron made an unscheduled visit to Riyadh on 21 October 2026 and met Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman. The Élysée said Saudi Arabia agreed after the meeting to supply additional diesel to France for as many months as necessary. The palace did not specify a volume or say how the commitment relates to Gulf supply pledges announced earlier in Macron’s tour.
Macron’s office said the visit was intended to show France’s solidarity with Saudi Arabia after Houthi attacks on its territory. France 24 reported the stop as an unscheduled addition to the president’s Gulf tour. Al-Monitor reported that Macron was the first Western leader to visit the kingdom since the attacks intensified this month.
What Macron and Mohammed bin Salman discussed
According to Al Jazeera’s account of the palace statement, the leaders agreed to consult on expanded security cooperation and infrastructure projects to bypass the blockaded Strait of Hormuz. The reported agreement concerned consultations; the palace did not announce a completed infrastructure project.
Al-Monitor’s report by Valérie Leroux and Sofiane Alsaar said an AFP journalist at the scene reported that Macron spent less than three hours in Riyadh. The report described near-daily attacks on Saudi Arabia. Facing criticism of his Gulf tour in France, Macron told reporters he was working to ease tensions over fuel prices: ‘I am fulfilling my role. I am at my post.’
How the Riyadh pledge fits France’s Gulf fuel talks
The Riyadh meeting followed Macron’s earlier Gulf stops and diesel pledges covered in NewsJaws’ report on his Qatar visit. Al Jazeera said the French presidency announced on Tuesday that the United Arab Emirates had committed about 100,000 tonnes of diesel a month, with a further 100,000 tonnes monthly to be secured in Bahrain. The Élysée reported the additional Saudi commitment after the Riyadh meeting without giving its size or a delivery schedule.
The presidency put France’s Gulf diesel commitments at 295,000 tonnes a month, just over 10 percent of French consumption, Al Jazeera reported. That figure included Saudi Arabia among the suppliers discussed during the tour; the Élysée did not clarify whether the commitment announced after the Riyadh meeting changed the total. Macron’s search for fuel supplies followed violent protests in France over rising living costs, according to Al-Monitor.
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Sources and context
- Macron makes surprise Saudi visit as France secures extra diesel suppliesAl Jazeera, with AFP
- French President Macron lands in Saudi Arabia on surprise 'solidarity' visitFrance 24
- France's Macron lands in Riyadh on surprise 'solidarity' visitAl-Monitor
- France’s Macron first Western leader to visit Saudi Arabia since Houthi escalationAl-Monitor
AI-assisted article checked against the listed sources. NewsJaws did not conduct interviews or attend the reported events.