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France's President Emmanuel Macron said that he discussed with US President Donald Trump initiatives aimed at securing a moratorium between Ukraine and Russia on attacks linked to the energy sector, Reuters reported.
Speaking to reporters after the meeting in New York during the UN General Assembly, Macron said the two leaders had held a "very good" and "very constructive" discussion on the conflict and agreed on the need to help Kyiv strengthen its defenses.
"We had a lengthy discussion on Ukraine and Russia, the need to help our Ukrainian friends more quickly and more strongly in terms of interceptors, because that is the key issue from a defensive point of view," Macron said.
Without going into details, Macron said the two had also focused on the idea of halting strikes on the energy sector, a subject he would bring up when he meets Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy later on Monday.
The French leader said helping Ukraine's energy system remained a priority as the war continued to affect security across Europe and he hoped progress could be made during the annual gathering of leaders at the United Nations.
“Upon my arrival in New York, I met with President Donald Trump. We decided to work together to ease tensions in the energy markets, protect critical infrastructure in the Middle East, and ensure freedom of navigation in the Strait of Hormuz. We will also combine our efforts to secure a moratorium on strikes against Ukrainian energy and civilian infrastructure. Civilian populations must be protected, and we must begin serious negotiations on the terms of peace between Russia and Ukraine as soon as possible,” Macron said on X.