Macron tells Trump he wants energy sector truce in Ukraine as France pushes for stronger air defences

From the Newshound archive · first published 22 September 2026.

French President Emmanuel Macron said he put forward a proposal for a moratorium on strikes against energy infrastructure when he met President Trump in New York — a meeting he described as "very constructive" — and planned to raise the same issue with President Zelensky later Monday. Macron said the two leaders agreed that delivering interceptor missiles to Ukraine faster and in greater numbers was the top defensive priority. He framed protecting Ukraine's energy grid as central to European security as world leaders convened at the UN General Assembly in New York.

The discussions followed Ukraine's largest-ever drone offensive against Moscow — more than 1,000 drones, with hundreds directed at the capital — which left two people dead and 20 injured across the Moscow region.

The assault also marked the combat debut of Ukraine's domestically produced Pelican ballistic missile, which struck a Moscow oil refinery on the closing day of Russia's parliamentary elections.

Poland activated military aviation operations in response to intensified Russian strikes on Ukraine, reflecting growing unease along NATO's eastern flank about the conflict's escalation.