French President Emmanuel Macron has held talks with Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, ahead of next week's meeting of the group of major oil-producing countries known as OPEC Plus.

Macron and the Saudi crown prince met in Paris on Thursday. They are likely to have discussed stable energy supplies and rising prices.

The European Union plans to impose an embargo on Russian crude oil transported by ships as part of the sanctions over the invasion of Ukraine. The bloc is working to secure other sources of crude oil.

Crown Prince Mohammed has come under international criticism over his alleged involvement in the murder of Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi in Turkey in 2018.

Macron is seeking Saudi Arabia's cooperation in ensuring stable energy supplies. But human rights groups in France have criticized Macron's decision to invite the crown prince to the country.