Sweden and Finland are calling on the European Union to introduce a total ban on maritime services for all ships carrying Russian energy products, with the aim of blocking the so-called “shadow fleet” or “ghost fleet”, used by Russia to export oil despite Western sanctions imposed after the invasion of Ukraine. The announcement was made on Thursday by the Swedish Foreign Minister, Maria Malmer Stenergard, according to the EFE agency, quoted by Agerpres.
“Sweden and Finland have proposed three measures for the new package of European sanctions” against Russia, declared the head of Swedish diplomacy, ahead of a meeting of EU foreign ministers.
Member states are preparing the 20th package of sanctions against Russia since the beginning of the war and aim to finalize it by February 24, when four years have passed since the start of the Russian invasion in Ukraine.
The two countries argue that the new package should “impose a total ban on maritime services for all Russian ships carrying energy”, so that “Russia is hit where it hurts the most, namely its income”.