Vladimir Putin has announced that Russia will not stand idly by while EU member states intercept Russian cargo ships and hand them over to Ukraine.
The statement, published by the Russian TASS news agency, comes in response to the EU stepping up pressure on Russia’s so-called “shadow fleet” and imposing sanctions on hundreds of vessels that transport Russian goods under various flags without declaring their cargoes.
Russian President Vladimir Putin has announced that Russia will retaliate in kind if European countries seize commercial vessels operating under the Russian flag, the official TASS news agency reported. Several EU member-state governments have indicated that they are considering introducing stricter maritime inspection measures against vessels suspected of circumventing the sanctions imposed on Russia.
According to Vladimir Putin, “this is simply and plainly piracy and robbery. And if this is actually implemented, we will be forced to respond in kind.”
He added, according to TASS, that any Russian retaliatory action would not be limited to the waters where Russian vessels had been seized. Rather, Putin said, it would “take place wherever Russia deems it necessary and appropriate.”
Vladimir Putin is currently on Sakhalin Island, where he is taking part in military exercises. TASS also reported that he accused NATO of entrenching itself in the Asia-Pacific region through its military involvement and of creating tensions in the Arctic.
