US vetoes G7 initiative on Russia’s shadow fleet, Bloomberg reports
Pravda Ukraine
The United States has rejected Canada’s proposal to establish a task force to investigate Russia’s shadow fleet of oil tankers as the administration of President Donald Trump reassesses its stance on multilateral organisations.
Source: Bloomberg, citing sources
Details: Canada, which holds the G7 presidency this year, will host a foreign ministers’ summit next week in Charlevoix, Québec.
Bloomberg sources said that the US has pushed for making the wording on China tougher while softening language on Russia during negotiations on a joint maritime statement.
The term “shadow fleet” refers to old oil tankers concealed from Western sanctions imposed on Moscow after its full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022.
In addition to vetoing Canada’s proposal to create a task force for monitoring sanctions violations, a draft G7 statement seen by Bloomberg reveals that the US insisted on removing the word “sanctions” from references to Russia’s “ability to maintain its war” in Ukraine, replacing it with “earn revenue”.
Regarding maritime security, the US has pushed for direct references to China, specifically highlighting risks to “lives and livelihoods” caused by its actions to “enforce unlawful maritime claims” and its aerial manoeuvres, specifically in the South China Sea.
The G7 communiqué is not final until it is published based on consensus, and negotiations could still lead to significant changes before or during the summit.
Quote from Bloomberg: “Washington is also pushing back against references to maritime sustainability, the people added, as well as efforts to create a maritime observatory to track boundary changes. That’s a key issue in maritime conflicts globally, including in the South China Sea.”
Details: According to Bloomberg, US diplomats have informed their counterparts that this decision stems from Washington’s reassessment of its position in multilateral organisations, making it unable to join new initiatives.
Read also: Russia continues to ship oil directly to the EU despite sanctions, investigation finds – video
Background:
- On 24 February, the EU added several dozen more vessels to the list of sanctioned vessels in the latest package of sanctions.
- In addition, the EU Council has established two new criteria that will allow the EU to impose restrictive measures on individuals and legal entities that own or operate vessels which are part of Russia’s shadow fleet and those that support or benefit from Russia’s defence industrial base.
- In its investigation, a team from Finnish public broadcaster Yle showed how Russia has moved abroad the activities of companies that manage the fleet of tankers transporting Russian oil. One of the largest centres for these shell companies is Dubai.
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