Macron in Riyadh as Saudi Arabia Agrees to Extra Diesel for France
French President Emmanuel Macron met Saudi Crown Prince and Prime Minister Mohammed bin Salman in Riyadh on Wednesday, 21 October 2026. The Saudi Press Agency, the kingdom's state news agency, reported that the crown prince received Macron at Al-Yamamah Palace and that the two discussed strategic issues. According to Al Jazeera, the two agreed to consult on expanding security cooperation and on infrastructure projects that would bypass the Strait of Hormuz, the sea passage at the entrance to the Gulf that Iran has blockaded.
The most immediate result concerns fuel. The Élysée Palace, the French presidency, told the news agency AFP that Saudi Arabia agreed to supply extra diesel to France "for as many months as necessary." Neither the Saudi side nor the Élysée has disclosed how much diesel the kingdom will provide.
Earlier, on 20 October, the French presidency said the United Arab Emirates had committed to supply about 100,000 tonnes of diesel a month to France, and that a further 100,000 tonnes a month was to be secured in Bahrain. Including Saudi deliveries, the presidency said France now has commitments for 295,000 tonnes of diesel a month, just over 10 percent of its consumption.
The trip took place against a domestic backdrop. France24 reported that Macron was touring key energy suppliers in the Gulf to secure oil and diesel and to bring down prices in France, where fuel costs have fed unrest. Cost-of-living rioting in France has been fuelled by high energy prices linked to the US-Iran war and Iran's blockade of the Strait of Hormuz, according to Al Jazeera.
Security is the other strand. France is sending military assets to Saudi Arabia under an earlier agreement to help protect the Red Sea port of Yanbu from attacks by the Houthi movement in Yemen. On 20 October, the United Kingdom announced it would deploy fighter jets to help defend Saudi Arabia from Houthi attacks. France and the UK say their support is purely defensive.
The two countries have been building ties for some time. A joint France–Saudi Arabia declaration dated 25 August 2026 was issued during the crown prince's visit to France, according to the Élysée. Macron had also attended the One Water Summit in Riyadh in December 2024.
TotalEnergies, the French energy company, has said that a Saudi refining platform called SATORP, which combines the expertise of Saudi Aramco and TotalEnergies, delivered around 300,000 tons of diesel to France when sanctions shut Russian diesel out of Europe.
