Macron made the statement after a rare crisis meeting at the Élysée Palace. At it, French intelligence leaders briefed political leaders and candidates in next year’s presidential election on the threats posed by Russia’s war against Ukraine and the conflict in the Middle East, which are pushing fuel prices in France to new highs.
The president called the situation serious and said France would find it difficult to sharply subsidize rising energy bills. The reason is the strained state of public finances and the planned €54 billion budget cut next year. According to Macron, the government is preparing targeted aid measures.
Macron also said that at recent meetings with the leaders of Saudi Arabia, Iraq, Qatar, and the UAE, he sought more reliable access for France to oil and gas supplies. On Sunday, he intends to discuss trade in petroleum products and liquefied natural gas with Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney.
Separately, the president said that France is strengthening the protection of critical infrastructure and defense production facilities amid a rise in cyberattacks and so-called hybrid attacks from Russia, including recent incidents on a Ukrainian passenger train and at Leipzig Airport in Germany. Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk warned on Thursday that Russia may be trying to attack European allies of Ukraine with drones or missiles.
The meeting was attended by Édouard Philippe, Gabriel Attal, Bruno Retailleau, Raphaël Glucksmann, Marine Tondelier, and Olivier Faure. Marine Le Pen was represented by Jordan Bardella, and Jean-Luc Mélenchon by his party’s MP Manuel Bompard; after the briefing, Bardella said that the issue of purchasing power had been pushed aside, while Retailleau said he had proposed several measures. Guillaume Lacroix, head of a small left-wing party, wrote online that the scale of the three-hour briefing left him feeling dizzy.
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