First Western Leader to Visit Kingdom Since Attacks Intensified
RIYADH, October 21, 2026 — French President Emmanuel Macron landed in Riyadh on Wednesday in a surprise “solidarity” visit, becoming the first Western leader to travel to the kingdom since Yemen’s Houthis intensified their missile and drone attacks on Saudi Arabia this month.
Macron was due to meet Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman on Wednesday afternoon, his office said, in talks expected to focus on the kingdom’s security and on securing energy supplies for France.
“The president of the republic is travelling to Saudi Arabia this afternoon to meet with Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman,” a statement from the Élysée said. The visit aimed to “demonstrate France’s solidarity with the kingdom in the face of the attacks carried out by the Houthis against its territory, and to continue efforts undertaken on securing and diversifying hydrocarbon supplies,” the statement added.
Fuel at the Heart of the Visit
Diplomatic sources said the trip is part of a wider Gulf tour aimed at securing diesel and petrol supplies, as Macron scrambles to bring down energy prices at home. France has been gripped by violent protests over the rising cost of living, deepening the political crisis around his presidency.
Macron arrived in the kingdom following a regional tour that included Kuwait, the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain and Qatar, where he discussed strengthening France’s strategic defence partnerships and locking in energy supplies, Saudi media reported.
In recent weeks, Houthi attacks on Saudi Arabia have reached an unprecedented scale, forcing the closure of Riyadh’s King Khalid International Airport and contributing to the postponement of the tenth Future Investment Initiative conference to 2027. A Houthi attempt to blockade Saudi ports has also hampered oil exports from the kingdom.
France Offers Defensive Backing
Saudi media said Macron’s arrival confirmed French defensive support for the kingdom and reported that Paris had offered to help secure Saudi Arabia’s East-West oil pipeline, a vital crude-export route under attack.
The visit followed diplomatic consultations between Saudi and French officials earlier this week. On Monday, Saudi Foreign Minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan received his French counterpart Jean-Noël Barrot for talks on bilateral relations and regional security, according to the Saudi Foreign Ministry.
Barrot reaffirmed France’s condemnation of what officials called the Houthi militia’s terrorist attacks and expressed his country’s solidarity with Saudi Arabia. The ministers also emphasised the importance of diplomatic efforts to ensure the security of regional waterways and protect freedom of navigation.
Signals From a Widening Crisis
Macron’s stop in Riyadh came a day after he secured a landmark energy and defence package in Abu Dhabi, where the UAE and France signed a Rafale F5 fighter-jet cooperation agreement. His lightning Gulf tour signals how far the region’s crisis has reached into European capitals, with fuel security now sitting alongside regional security on every agenda.
Earlier on Wednesday, Macron attended the ninth annual One Planet Sovereign Wealth Funds summit in Lusail, Qatar, before flying on to Riyadh.
Diplomatic observers said the first Western leader’s visit to Saudi Arabia since the attacks intensified carries symbolic weight for Riyadh, which has been pressing allies to take firmer action against the Houthis. On Sunday, GCC Secretary-General Jasem Albudaiwi called for “effective” international action against the group after an extraordinary Gulf ministerial meeting in Manama.
