Zelenskyy proposes confiscation of Russian shadow fleet vessels
Photo: President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyy (Getty Images)
Belgium has detained a tanker from Russia’s shadow fleet. Ukraine is calling on European countries not only to stop such vessels but to confiscate them for the benefit of Europe’s security, according to President Volodymyr Zelenskyy.
Read also: Belgium makes first seizure of Russian shadow fleet tanker
Zelenskyy welcomed Belgium’s decisive move to arrest the vessel, which had long circumvented restrictions by using a convenient flag and false documentation. The president also thanked France for supporting the operation against Moscow’s “floating purse.”
“Russia operates like a mafia organization, and the response must match that reality. If they reject the rules for the sake of war, the rules must foresee a clear and firm answer,” the head of state stressed.
Proposals to tighten sanctions
The Ukrainian leader called for the modernization of European legislation. In his view, tankers transporting Russian oil in circumvention of sanctions should not only be stopped, but also seized.
Zelenskyy proposed using the confiscated oil for Europe’s security needs, emphasizing the need for maximum determination in countering the Kremlin’s energy blackmail.
Russia’s shadow fleet
Russia’s shadow fleet consists of hundreds of aging tankers with unclear ownership structures, which Moscow uses to export oil in circumvention of the established price cap. Earlier, the G7 countries and the EU had already announced plans to tighten oversight of vessels threatening the region’s environmental and economic security.
Today, Belgium, with France’s support, intercepted a tanker from Russia’s shadow fleet for the first time. The vessel was sent to the port of Zeebrugge for further arrest.
