DOMINANT ANGLE
Brussels is primarily focusing on the oil aspect of the Macron-Trump meeting in New York, more than the diplomatic schedule of the General Assembly.
Dominant angle identified — does not reflect unanimity of this country’s media
KEY POINTS
- 01
Macron has proposed to Trump a UN Security Council resolution aimed at ensuring freedom of navigation in the Strait of Hormuz, through which 20% of global hydrocarbon trade passes (La Libre)
- 02
France says it is ready for the "securing", in a "strictly defensive" approach, of Saudi oil infrastructure targeted by Houthi rebels (La Libre)
- 03
Macron has pledged to strengthen Ukrainian air defense (radars, interceptors) after a meeting described as "diepgaand" (in-depth) with Zelensky (VRT NWS)
ANALYSIS
Brussels, September 22, 2026. The Belgian press first focuses on the oil aspect of the meeting held on Monday in New York between Emmanuel Macron and Donald Trump, on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly. According to La Libre, the French president proposed "several initiatives" to try to curb the surge in oil prices, including a resolution in the Security Council aimed at guaranteeing freedom of navigation in the Strait of Hormuz, through which 20% of global hydrocarbon trade passes. A diplomatic source specified that Paris wants to "work with the Americans and its partners" on this text, without a global agreement being necessary to "allow more container ships and tankers to pass".
The same meeting also discussed the protection of Saudi oil infrastructure targeted by Houthi rebels: France says it is ready for "securing", in an approach it itself describes as "strictly defensive". For Belgian diplomacy, which has been attentive to the energy file since the gas price surge in 2022, this abundance of verbal precautions - "strictly defensive", "without a global agreement" - signals Paris' caution not to appear as a party to an escalation in the Middle East.
On the Ukrainian aspect, VRT NWS reports a "very constructive" meeting between Macron and Trump, and a separate exchange, described as "diepgaand" (in-depth), between Macron and Volodymyr Zelensky. The French president promised that France will remain by Ukraine's side this winter and committed to strengthening Ukraine's air defense - radars and interceptors - to counter Russian strikes on energy infrastructure. Zelensky, who arrived in New York, is set to meet Trump on Tuesday afternoon, a source close to the file told AFP, as Washington showcases the relaunch of its mediation efforts in a war that has been ongoing since 2022.
The Belgian coverage, built on AFP dispatches relayed by La Libre and VRT's live feed, does not mention the expected content of Trump's speech to the Assembly or the Spanish position on the presidential reception. It assembles a series of French announcements - Hormuz, Houthis, energy moratorium, air defense aid - without prioritizing them, revealing a dense diplomatic agenda where the fate of oil and that of the Ukrainian energy front remain treated as two facets of the same file.
