Macron proposes "double moratorium" linking halt on Russian refinery strikes and Black Sea hostilities
French President Emmanuel Macron said he intends to propose a "double moratorium" as part of diplomatic efforts to ease energy-market strain, coupling a halt to strikes on Russian oil refineries with a halt to hostilities in the Black Sea. He also outlined broader measures: working to restore shipping in the Strait of Hormuz and urging G7 countries to reuse strategic oil reserves.
Key points
- Macron framed the effort as preventing a fuel shortage through diplomatic measures.
- The "double moratorium" links halting strikes on Russian oil refineries with halting Black Sea hostilities.
- Macron: "Stop attacking Russian oil refineries and stop hostilities in the Black Sea."
- France will work to restore shipping in the Strait of Hormuz, a key route for global oil supplies.
- Paris will call on G7 countries to reuse strategic oil reserves to ease energy-market tension.
- On Sept. 22, Zelensky said closed talks with Trump did not include pressure on Kyiv to stop strikes on refineries, contrary to some US public statements.
- On Sept. 23, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said reaching a Russia-Ukraine energy ceasefire is difficult but Washington will try.
Why it matters
Macron is putting a named diplomatic package on the table that ties energy-market stability to specific de-escalation steps in the Russia-Ukraine war. By bundling a halt on strikes against Russian refineries with a halt on Black Sea hostilities — and pairing it with wider measures on the Strait of Hormuz and G7 strategic reserves — Paris is trying to frame the issue as a single, balanced trade-off rather than a one-sided concession.
What happened
In an interview with French TV channels reported by BFMTV, President Emmanuel Macron said it is making efforts to prevent a fuel shortage, including through diplomatic measures. He said he intends to propose a "double moratorium" — stopping strikes on Russian oil refineries and stopping hostilities in the Black Sea — and put it directly: "Stop attacking Russian oil refineries and stop hostilities in the Black Sea." Macron added that France will work to restore navigation in the Strait of Hormuz, which is of key importance for global oil and other energy supplies, and that Paris will call on G7 countries to reuse strategic oil reserves to ease tension in the energy market. The announcement sits against the backdrop of recent US engagement on the same question: on September 22, President Volodymyr Zelensky said closed talks with US President Donald Trump did not include attempts to force Kyiv to halt strikes on refineries, contradicting some US public statements, and the following day US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said reaching a Russia-Ukraine energy ceasefire would be difficult but that Washington would try.
How Ukrainian sources describe it
All three supplied outlets are Ukrainian and report Macron's proposal in detail, quoting the "double moratorium" formulation directly. They place the announcement inside the existing Zelensky–Rubio exchange about an energy ceasefire and foreground how the proposal relates to Ukraine's ongoing strikes on Russian oil infrastructure — i.e., as a question of whether Kyiv would be asked to give up an active element of its campaign against Moscow's energy sector.
How international sources describe it
The supplied sources are Ukrainian media outlets, and the synthesis does not set out a separate international framing; the proposal itself, however, extends beyond the bilateral war by linking the Russia-Ukraine energy question to Strait of Hormuz navigation and a G7 reserve-release push.
Where reporting differs
Zelensky said no pressure was applied in closed talks with Trump to halt Ukrainian strikes on Russian oil refineries, while Rubio described achieving an energy ceasefire as difficult — implying US engagement on the question — and the supplied sources note that some public US-side statements suggested otherwise.
Background
On September 22, Zelensky said closed talks with Trump did not include attempts to force Kyiv to stop attacks on Russian oil refineries, contradicting some US public statements. On September 23, Rubio said reaching a Russia-Ukraine energy ceasefire would be difficult but that Washington would try.