Macron says US talks opened path to lift Hormuz blockade and boost Ukraine aid

French President Emmanuel Macron told reporters on September 21 that his meeting with U.S. President Donald Trump in New York was highly productive. He said the two leaders explored ways to allow more container ships and tankers to use the Strait of Hormuz, which Iran has blocked during the West Asian war. The discussion also covered the Red Sea, a key route for oil after the Hormuz closure, and the impact on global prices. Macron said he urged Trump to speed up the supply of missile‑defence systems to Ukraine and spoke about a possible energy truce and a Black Sea moratorium. He added that he would raise these points with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, whom he met on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly. Before arriving in New York, Macron flew from the French overseas territory of Saint Pierre and Miquelon, where he had met Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney. Carney has been in a tariff dispute with Trump over a stalled trade deal. Macron noted that Trump was receptive and that the conversation covered both the Middle‑East conflict and the Ukraine war in detail.