Moscow, June 1: French President Emmanuel Macron announced on Monday that the French Navy has intercepted a new tanker coming from Russia under international sanctions. The Kremlin’s spokesperson, Dmitry Peskov, sharply criticized this action, labeling it as “international maritime piracy.” Peskov described France’s actions as illegal.
He stated, “We consider such actions to be unlawful. They border on international maritime piracy.”
In April, the European Council expanded sanctions against Russia by adopting its 20th package. According to the European Council, “This includes 36 designations, covering both upstream and downstream segments of the Russian energy sector, including oil exploration, extraction, refining, and transportation. Revenue from Russian oil exports is further pressured through listings focused on the shadow fleet ecosystem, which includes entities operating in third countries and a major maritime insurance company.”
In January, Macron mentioned that the French Navy had acted against a Russian oil tanker during an operation in the open sea of the Mediterranean.
Regarding the French Navy’s actions, President Macron wrote on the social media platform X, “The French Navy has seized a new tanker coming from Russia under international sanctions. Our resolve is firm and unwavering. This operation was conducted in the Atlantic, in international waters, with the support of several partners, strictly adhering to maritime law.”
He emphasized that circumventing international bans on ships, violating maritime law, and funding the war that Russia has been waging against Ukraine for over four years is unacceptable.
According to him, these ships “do not comply with the most basic rules of maritime navigation and pose a threat to the environment and everyone’s safety.”
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