Macron Secures Extra 200,000 Tonnes of Diesel a Month on Gulf Tour

President Emmanuel Macron has secured commitments for an additional 200,000 tonnes of diesel a month for France during his tour of the Gulf, his office said on Tuesday. About 100,000 tonnes a month will come from the United Arab Emirates, and another 100,000 tonnes a month will come from Bahrain, which Macron was due to visit later on Tuesday, France 24 reported.

The announcement is the first hard number to come out of a three day tour that began in Kuwait on Monday, Oct 19, 2026 and also takes in the Emirates, Bahrain and Qatar. Macron arrived in Abu Dhabi on Monday and was received by UAE President Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, the Emirates News Agency WAM reported. Senior executives from the French energy companies TotalEnergies and Engie are travelling with him.

Business deals signed in Abu Dhabi

On Tuesday, Macron and Abu Dhabi Crown Prince Khaled bin Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan attended a UAE France Business Dialogue at Qasr Al Watan, the presidential palace in Abu Dhabi. Companies from both countries signed contracts and memoranda on energy, artificial intelligence and advanced technology, according to the Abu Dhabi Media Office. ADNOC Gas signed an agreement with Schneider Electric to explore new technology, and ADNOC Refining signed two contracts with Technip Energies, one to raise refining capacity and one on sustainable aviation fuel. Mohamed bin Zayed University of Artificial Intelligence, G42 and Analog each signed separate agreements with the French AI venture AMI Labs, and the two sides discussed the Campus AI project.

A trip made under pressure at home

Macron made the trip days after cost of living protests across France turned violent on Oct 17, 2026. Curfews took effect in parts of Paris, Lyon, Lille, Nice, Bordeaux and Marseille on Monday night, the first night without serious disorder since the rioting. The Justice Ministry said 2,513 people had been taken into custody. Interior Minister Laurent Nunez offered to resign over the weekend, and Macron declined the offer on Monday, saying Nunez should stay to keep the chain of command in the police and security forces.

Macron has argued that the fuel price rises driving much of the anger come from the conflict in the Persian Gulf, in which France is not taking part, and from which France suffers the consequences. Shipping through the Strait of Hormuz has been disrupted for months, and Brent crude traded near $111 a barrel on Tuesday morning, close to a five month high. Le Monde reported that Paris has also looked at diesel and jet fuel reserves stockpiled in Oman, and that Macron is due in Qatar on a state visit during the tour.

What the diesel does and does not do

The extra supply will not end the shortages or the protests on its own. It is a monthly commitment, announced while the Bahrain part was still being completed on Tuesday, and the Elysee has not said when the first extra cargoes will reach French ports. What it gives Macron is a concrete result to point to when he returns home, where opponents have called the tour badly timed and accused him of leaving in the middle of a crisis. His answer, in effect, is that the fuel France needs sits in the Gulf, and securing it meant going there in person.