LONDON: Britain on Wednesday targeted Russia’s two largest oil companies, Lukoil and Rosneft, and 51 shadow fleet tankers in what it described as a fresh bid to tighten energy sanctions and choke off Kremlin revenues.
“We are introducing targeted sanctions against the two biggest oil companies in Russia, Lukoil and Rosneft,” finance minister Rachel Reeves told reporters while on a trip in the United States.
“At the same time, we are ramping up pressure on companies in third countries, including India and China, that continue to facilitate getting Russia oil onto global markets.”
She said there was “no place for Russia on global markets” and that Britain would take all necessary steps to stop Moscow from funding its war in Ukraine.
The new sanctions target 51 ships within the shadow fleet, as well as individuals and entities across sectors including energy and defense.
The shadow fleet has increasingly been the target of sanctions from Britain, the United States and the European Union since Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in February 2022.
It is a network of older tankers that officials say are used to avoid sanctions on Russian oil.
Russia’s embassy in London did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
UK sanctions Russia’s Lukoil and Rosneft, targets shadow fleet
https://arab.news/4arp2
UK sanctions Russia’s Lukoil and Rosneft, targets shadow fleet
- “We are introducing targeted sanctions against the two biggest oil companies in Russia,” Reeves said
- The new sanctions target 51 ships within the shadow fleet
Pull him off TV: Steve Bannon shuts down Sen. Lindsey Graham
- Trump’s former chief strategist called for the senator to be registered as a foreign agent
DUBAI: Former White House chief strategist Steve Bannon called on Tuesday for US Senator Lindsey Graham to be registered as a foreign agent of the Israeli government, escalating a growing conservative backlash against the senator’s vocal support for Israel.
Speaking on his podcast “War Room,” Bannon said Graham should be “pulled off of television,” adding: "This is dangerous… because you have guys like Lindsey Graham and dozens more that are doing the wrong thing.”
In a Fox News interview on Monday, Graham said: “To all the antisemites, to all the isolationists… I’m not with you, I’m with Israel, I will be with Israel to our dying day.”
Graham also urged Gulf Arab states to join military action against Iran. “What I want you to do in the Middle East, to our friends in Saudi Arabia and other places, [is] step forward and say, ‘this is my fight too, I join America, I’m publicly involved in bringing this regime down,’” he said.
In a post on X, Graham questioned the value of a US defense agreement with Saudi Arabia following the evacuation of the American embassy in Riyadh, writing: “Why should America do a defense agreement with a country like the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia that is unwilling to join a fight of mutual interest?”
Faisal Abbas, editor-in-chief of Arab News, responded to Graham’s comments in a Sky News interview, saying: “He flip flops so much, it’s actually entertaining.”
“On one hand, he says he will never set foot in Saudi Arabia. The next day, he’s here signing multimillion-dollar deals.”
“I don’t think anyone here takes him seriously,” Abbas added.
He warned Graham to be careful what he wished for: “Do you really want Saudi Arabia involved in this war putting our oil facilities at risk or do you want us stabilizing the energy markets?”
Graham pressed further, warning that inaction would carry a price. “Hopefully Gulf Cooperation Council countries will get more involved as this fight is in their backyard. If you are not willing to use your military now, when are you willing to use it?”
“Hopefully this changes soon. If not, consequences will follow.”
Graham's remarks drew sharp criticism from Bannon and others including podcast host Megyn Kelly.
She questioned on X whether Graham was overstepping his authority as a senator, writing: “When did Lindsay Graham become our president?”
Kelly also said Graham had threatened Lebanon, Cuba, Saudi Arabia, the wider Arab region, and Spain within a 24-hour period.
The problem with Graham “isn’t (just) that he’s a homicidal maniac, it’s that Trump likes and is listening to him,” she said in another post.
