EU Says Going After Russia’s Shadow Fleet Remains a Priority

European leaders continue to work to increase the pressure on Russia with the shadow fleet and cutting Russia’s revenues from oil remaining a high priority. The EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, Kaja Kallas, told reporters the EU’s plan is to continue to weaken Russia, saying the sanctions are working.

Speaking to reporters are the end of the monthly Foreign Affairs Council session, Kallas said the next steps the EU is exploring include pre-boarding agreements with the flag states that register vessels. She reported that there have been “extensive diplomatic talks” to establish the inspection rights targeting the shadow tankers.

Kallas asserted that “slowing down the shadow fleet costs Russia revenues.” French President Emmanuel Macron advocated for this stance after France detained a shadow fleet tanker for a few days in September. Estonia has also taken aggressive actions to challenge some of the tankers to confirm their flags and valid insurance.

“The export of Russian crude oil is the lowest it has been in months,” Kallas told reporters. “Russian tax revenues from oil are the lowest since the war started.”

When the EU started the sanction efforts targeting the shadow fleet, Kallas reported revenues from oil shipped via the Baltic and Black Sea dropped by 30 percent. She contends the impact has increased further, saying the ministers want to work with the European Commission to be “more agile” and to do it faster. She said they do not want to wait for the next sanctions package to take further steps against the tankers.

“Sanctions are hitting Russia hard, and more are coming,” warned Kallas.

She noted that the EU has already listed more than 550 ships. It has also authorized member states to challenge tankers transiting local waters to demand proof of insurance. The EU and NATO also supported the Baltic countries in increasing monitoring efforts and in the efforts to protect the undersea infrastructure.

“Russia has repeatedly paid lip service for peace talks, and previous talks fell apart because Russia never made any real commitments,” Kallas said during the briefing. She said if Russia really wanted peace, it would have accepted the unconditional ceasefire offer made in March.

The comments came as news of a proposed new peace plan developed by the United States in consultation with Russia was announced. Critics were quick to say the plan contains large concessions from Ukraine, and it was unclear, other than a promise not to attack again, what concessions Russia might be proposing in the plan. Ukraine acknowledged the receipt of the plan and said it would be talking with the United States in the coming days about the opportunities for peace.