Paris: France will send troops and defence systems to Saudi Arabia to help protect the Red Sea port city of Yanbu, a key hub for energy transport, French President Emmanuel Macron said on Thursday.
“This is the agreement we have finalised with the Saudis: we are going to send military resources, that is to say, soldiers, radar systems and defence systems, to protect this site - not to get us involved in any conflicts, but to protect this site,” Macron said in an interview with TF1 and France 2 TV.
Saudi Arabia intercepted six ballistic missiles fired by Yemen's Iran-backed Houthis on Thursday, thwarting attacks on the southern province of Taif and the Yanbu area on the Red Sea, the Saudi-led coalition in Yemen said.
Asked about a United States push to curb diesel exports, Macron said it is a ‘bad decision’ and that G7 nations should instead "perhaps consider releasing strategic reserves in a coordinated manner."
US President Donald Trump's administration is under political pressure to lower diesel prices, but more aggressive measures such as an export ban could disrupt refinery operations and raise the price of other fuels, leaving officials searching for ways to increase domestic diesel supplies without creating new problems elsewhere. The US is the world's largest diesel exporter.
Trump said earlier this week that he supported restricting diesel exports, a move that surprised senior officials and kicked off a search for alternative measures.
Asked about Russia, Macron said the U.S. Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) has not warned Paris of a potential Russian strike across southern Europe that could also hit France.
Still, he said Russia is multiplying hostile and criminal acts against European countries, and France could face strikes similar to the failed attack in Leipzig.
