STORY: President Emmanuel Macron said on Friday (September 18) a meeting of G7 countries would take place in the coming weeks to step up cooperation among members and help secure supplies in the face of the current energy crisis stemming from the Iran war.

"In the coming weeks, we will hold a G7 meeting dedicated to these energy issues, both to strengthen cooperation and avoid unnecessary tensions among G7 countries and our key partners, and to consider options for potential releases from strategic reserves or the lifting of restrictions, as we did a few months ago," Macron told a news conference.

Macron, whose government faces growing protests and pressure over high fuel prices, was hosting a meeting with the chiefs of different political parties represented in parliament to discuss the crises in the Middle East and Ukraine and their consequences on the energy market.

On Russia, Macron said Moscow has targeted France with hybrid attacks in the past few weeks.

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France's Macron says G7 will meet to discuss energy crisis in coming weeks

VIDEO SHOWS: FRENCH PRESIDENT, EMMANUEL MACRON, GIVING PRESS CONFERENCE AFTER MEETING WITH POLITICAL PARTY HEADS

RESENDING WITH COMPLETE SCRIPT

SHOWS: PARIS, FRANCE (SEPTEMBER 18, 2026) (REUTERS - Access all)

1. FRENCH PRESIDENT, EMMANUEL MACRON, ARRIVING FOR PRESS CONFERENCE

2. (SOUNDBITE) (French) FRENCH PRESIDENT, EMMANUEL MACRON, SAYING:

"No one here is unaware of the hardships faced by so many of our fellow citizens and families in recent weeks, as fuel prices have risen sharply. Pump prices have reached historic levels, causing considerable hardship and exacerbating purchasing power issues. Concerns are growing regarding gas prices and the overall energy situation."

3. JOURNALIST ASKING QUESTION

4. (SOUNDBITE) (French) FRENCH PRESIDENT, EMMANUEL MACRON, SAYING:

"I will convene a G7 meeting to move forward with better coordination on stockpile levels, along with greater cooperation on exports and production capacity. Therefore, in the coming weeks, we will hold a G7 meeting dedicated to these energy issues, both to enhance cooperation and avoid unnecessary tensions between G7 countries and our key partners, and to consider options for the potential release of strategic reserves, as we did a few months ago with our partners."

5. JOURNALIST ASKING QUESTION

6. (SOUNDBITE) (French) FRENCH PRESIDENT, EMMANUEL MACRON, SAYING:

"Today, France is doing everything possible to facilitate the peaceful reopening of the Strait of Hormuz. This is the action we initiated here last April by combining this international defence mission with the International Maritime Organization for the first time, we aim to escort tankers and container ships that would allow for the peaceful reopening of the Strait of Hormuz, as soon as an agreement is reached. This depends on the ability to finalise an agreement, which seems unlikely in the short term, between Iran and the United States."

7. TELEVISION WITH TEXT READING (French): "MEETING WITH THE POLITICAL FORCES ON THE INTERNATIONAL SITUATION"

8. (SOUNDBITE) (French) FRENCH PRESIDENT, EMMANUEL MACRON, SAYING:

"You have a government that is working diligently, aware of the situation in the country, and that will make the best possible decisions within our constraints. I believe that some political forces have understood this, and I hope all of them have, and then there will be the necessary parliamentary debate. I think that today we need to remain united and recognise that the situation we are experiencing is a consequence of international crises."

9. JOURNALIST ASKING QUESTION

10. (SOUNDBITE) (French) FRENCH PRESIDENT, EMMANUEL MACRON, SAYING:

"I want to emphasise that the nature of Russian aggression and its threats in Europe is changing. The drone attack on a passenger train from Kyiv a few days ago. The attack, the attempted attack, at Leipzig airport, which failed, but it is precisely because it failed that there were so few consequences, attributed by the German services to the GRU (Russian military intelligence agency). The firing of a flare near a Danish frigate, incursions into the airspace of several European countries, and the increase in hostile acts in most of our countries. The DRM (Directorate of Military Intelligence), the SGDSN (General Secretariat for Defence and National Security), and the DGSI (General Directorate for Internal Security) were able to provide an overview of the hybrid attacks to which our country has been subjected in recent weeks."

11. JOURNALIST ASKING QUESTION

12. (SOUNDBITE) (French) FRENCH PRESIDENT, EMMANUEL MACRON, SAYING:

"At our request, the Minister of the Interior (Laurent Nunez) convened all the regional prefects yesterday to establish a posture and heighten vigilance regarding Russian hybrid attacks and to ask the government to prepare a plan to protect our critical infrastructure and the most sensitive sites of our defence industrial and technological base against drone and cyberattacks."

13. MACRON LEAVING