BRUSSELS — During emergency talks on Friday, the French government raised the possibility of releasing part of its strategic stocks of oil and diesel, after the Trump administration pressured European countries to put their reserves on the market, POLITICO learned from two people familiar with the discussions.
The proposal made by the French government at a meeting of senior European officials this Friday is for EU countries to release 50 million barrels of crude oil and 50 million barrels of diesel. The idea is still being technically assessed, one of the interlocutors specified.
The move comes after US Energy Secretary Chris Wright asked European countries to release 120 million barrels from their stocks over a three-month period to combat rising diesel prices, failing which they would face restrictions on imports of American diesel. According to these sources, the compromise proposal put forward by France on Friday followed a new request from the United States to French President Emmanuel Macron, asking him to release 100 million barrels of diesel.
The Élysée said this morning that Emmanuel Macron had spoken during the night with Donald Trump "to discuss the global energy situation," and in particular to "ensure the availab…
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