On Friday, April 17, 2026, French President Emmanuel Macron welcomed Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni to the Elysee Palace in Paris for a high-stakes summit focused on the Strait of Hormuz.
The meeting began with a moment that quickly went viral: an unexpectedly warm, yet slightly awkward cheek kiss and embrace between the two leaders signaling a thaw in their historically complex relationship.
The summit, co-hosted with British Prime Minister Keir Starmer and German Chancellor Friedrich Merz, aimed to secure the vital oil transit route following a ceasefire between the US and Iran.
Macron addressed the importance of keeping the waterway open to international trade rejecting any attempts to restrict access or impose tolls.
“We all demand the full immediate and unconditional reopening of the Strait of Hormuz by all parties,” Macron stated during a joint press conference.
He added that the coalition would establish an independent mission to ensure safety emphasizing, “We all oppose any restriction that would effectively amount to an attempt to privatize the strait.”
