BRUSSELS: The European Union on Tuesday agreed to impose fresh sanctions on Russia, notably targeting almost 200 ships from the shadow fleet illicitly transporting oil to skirt Western restrictions put in place over Moscow’s war in Ukraine.
The 27-nation bloc targeted 189 ships in all, and imposed asset freezes and travel bans on several officials as well as on a number of Russian companies. The measures were endorsed by EU foreign ministers in Brussels.
EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas said that while President Vladimir “Putin feigns interest in peace, more sanctions are in the works. Russia’s actions and those who enable Russia face severe consequences.”
Russia uses its ” shadow fleet ” of ships to transport oil and gas, or to carry stolen Ukrainian grain. The EU has now targeted almost 350 of the ships in total.
The new measures are not obviously linked to Russian delays in agreeing to a ceasefire. Work on the measures began in the days after the last package was finalized three months ago.
Ukrainian officials have said that the shadow fleet involves around 500 aging ships of uncertain ownership and safety practices that are dodging sanctions and keeping the oil revenue coming.
Ratings agency S&P Global and the Kyiv School of Economics Institute, a think tank, have put the number at over 400 ships that can transport oil, or products made from crude such as diesel fuel and gasoline.
Vessels from the shadow fleet have also come under suspicion of damaging undersea cables, particularly in the Baltic Sea. Finnish police on Dec. 26 seized the Eagle S, a tanker they said was part of the dark fleet, on suspicion it used its anchor to damage the Estlink 2 undersea power cable that supplies electricity from Finland to Estonia.
The EU also said that it targeted people and companies, including an insurer, that make it possible for the shadow fleet to operate, hitting interests in the United Arab Emirates, Turkiye and Hong Kong.
In parallel, the UK targeted the shadow fleet in a raft of 100 new sanctions that it said are aimed at “ramping up pressure” on the Kremlin.
In a statement Tuesday, Britain’s Foreign Office said the sanctions will hit entities supporting Russia’s military, energy exports and information war, as well as financial institutions helping to fund its war against Ukraine.
It added that the sanctions will target the supply chains of Russian weapons, including Iskander missiles which have been fired into civilian areas in Ukraine during the war. The UK will also sanction 18 more ships in the “shadow fleet” carrying Russian oil.
“Putin’s latest strikes once again show his true colors as a warmonger,” Foreign Secretary David Lammy said. “We urge him to agree a full, unconditional ceasefire right away so there can be talks on a just and lasting peace.”
The EU has slapped several rounds of sanctions on Russia since President Vladimir Putin ordered his troops into Ukraine on Feb. 24, 2022. Around 2,400 officials and “entities” — often government agencies, banks and organizations — have been hit.
New EU and UK sanctions target Russia’s shadow fleet of tankers illicitly transporting oil
https://arab.news/8qhyq
New EU and UK sanctions target Russia’s shadow fleet of tankers illicitly transporting oil
- The 27-nation bloc targeted 189 ships in all, and imposed asset freezes and travel bans on several officials as well as on a number of Russian companies
- The measures were endorsed by EU foreign ministers in Brussels
US envoy urges nations to commit ‘time and treasure’ to Gaza recovery ahead of first Board of Peace meeting
- America’s ambassador to the UN, Mike Waltz, describes new body as a ‘board of action’ that will usher in ‘era of security, prosperity and opportunity for the Middle East’
- Inaugural meeting of US-led board in Washington on Thursday will bring together 27 nations, including Saudi Arabia and several other Arab and Muslim countries
NEW YORK CITY: The US ambassador to the UN, Mike Waltz, on Wednesday called on member states to commit “time and treasure” to Gaza’s recovery, as he urged countries to back the newly created “Board of Peace” which he said would soon announce more than $5 billion in reconstruction pledges.
The US-led board, established in November under UN Security Council Resolution 2803, is due to hold its inaugural meeting in Washington on Thursday, which will bring together 27 nations, including Saudi Arabia and several other Gulf Arab and Muslim-majority countries.
“The Board of Peace is a board of action,” Waltz said, arguing it marked a break from what he described as the failed approaches of the past.
The board will oversee the implementation of US President Donald Trump’s 20-point peace plan, which includes the deployment of an international stabilization force and the introduction of a technocratic National Committee for the Administration of Gaza.
Waltz said thousands of troops have been pledged to the stabilization force, which would ensure security and help establish a “durable, terror-free environment.”
The National Committee will operate under the board’s oversight, he added, to restore basic services and help build a productive economy.
The ceasefire has reduced hostilities and secured the return of all hostages held by Hamas, both living and deceased, Waltz said. Just months ago, he added, Gaza was controlled by Hamas, who were holding 48 hostages in tunnels it had built “instead of rebuilding Gaza.” However, he stressed that reconstruction cannot proceed without security guarantees.
“Before reconstruction can move forward, Hamas must, and will, disarm,” he said. He also called for the destruction of the group’s tunnels, its weapons-production facilities and other militant infrastructure.
“Reconstruction cannot and will not take place in areas where Hamas has not demilitarized,” Waltz said.
He dismissed criticism of the unconventional structure of the Board of Peace, saying that “the old ways were not working” and the alternative was either continuing Hamas control of Gaza or occupation.
“As chair of the Board of Peace, we are confident that we will see an era of security, prosperity and opportunity for the Middle East emerge,” he added.
