Macron briefs party leaders on lasting foreign crises as Le Pen snubs session

French President Emmanuel Macron summoned parliamentary party leaders and 2027 presidential hopefuls to the Élysée Palace on Friday for a closed-door briefing on rapidly deteriorating international conflicts and their impact on French security and energy supplies. The meeting, held in the so-called “Saint-Denis” format with Prime Minister Sébastien Lecornu, military officials and the heads of France’s main intelligence services, underscored Macron’s message that hard times are here to stay.

Macron, barred from seeking a third term, is trying to shape the debate ahead of the April–May 2027 presidential election. Polls consistently place National Rally leader Marine Le Pen as the clear favourite, with first-round support in the 33–36% range. She declined to attend, sending party president Jordan Bardella instead. Le Pen, campaigning in Gironde, remarked that these Élysée gatherings generally yield little new information. Jean-Luc Mélenchon of La France Insoumise also stayed away, represented by coordinator Manuel Bompard. Most other leading candidates, including Édouard Philippe (Horizons), Gabriel Attal (Renaissance), Bruno Retailleau (Les Républicains), Olivier Faure (Socialists) and Marine Tondelier (Ecologists), took part.

After the session, Macron told reporters that “the nature of Russian aggressiveness and the threats in Europe is changing.” He said hybrid attacks by Moscow had intensified and ordered the government to prepare a protection plan for critical infrastructure and sensitive defence-industry sites against drones and cyber operations. He linked soaring fuel prices to the wars in Ukraine and the Middle East, including the closure of the Strait of Hormuz, and warned that energy tensions would persist in the coming weeks. Macron was sharply critical of Russia and indicated that Moscow’s actions were intended to intimidate Europe and undermine support for Ukraine. Some participants, notably Raphaël Glucksmann, separately warned that the presidential campaign would face massive Russian interference.

Leaders emerging from the meeting offered mixed assessments. Édouard Philippe praised Macron’s initiative and said he shared the president’s determination, while noting that the threat level from the Ukraine war was rising. Jordan Bardella said the government had “swept aside” purchasing-power concerns and offered no answers on cutting fuel taxes. Olivier Faure called for automatic social aids to be doubled. Marine Tondelier said there were “real reasons to be very worried” about Russian destabilisation efforts. Communist candidate Fabien Roussel reported that officials had made clear a quick end to the conflicts was no longer a realistic scenario.

France is facing a difficult economic squeeze of weak growth, a persistently high public deficit and soaring energy costs. Growth forecasts for 2026 have been cut to around 0.5 percent, the deficit is expected to reach 5.4 percent of GDP this year, and public debt remains above 117 percent of GDP while borrowing costs have climbed to levels not seen since 2008. Without corrective action, Prime Minister Sébastien Lecornu has warned the 2027 deficit could approach 6.5 percent of GDP; he has therefore proposed a €54 billion budget effort – described as one of the most rigorous in years – through spending restraint rather than tax increases, including freezes on civil service pay and some pensions. At the same time, record petrol and diesel prices have fuelled growing public discontent, with fishermen blocking oil depots, strikes in several sectors and official concern that the unrest could echo the Yellow Vest protests.

Caption: France’s President Emmanuel Macron (6-R) welcomes candidates for the 2027 presidential election and party leaders on the geopolitical situation and its consequences at the presidential Elysee Palace in Paris, France, 18 September 2026, to discuss international conflicts and their domestic implications. EPA/THOMAS SAMSON / POOL