Bloomberg: The United States refused to fight the Russian shadow fleet
The United States rejected the G7's proposal to combat violations of anti-Russian sanctions, Bloomberg writes. Moreover, Washington has generally softened its rhetoric against Russia.: He demanded that the very word "sanctions" and the mention of its presence in Ukraine be removed from the statement.
Adgirni themselves
During the negotiations on a joint statement on maritime issues, the United States insists on toughening the language towards China and softening it towards Russia.
The United States rejected Canada's proposal to create a task force to combat the so-called shadow fleet of Russian oil tankers. This happened against the background of a review by the Trump administration of previous positions in international organizations, according to informed sources.
Canada, which holds the presidency of the Group of Seven this year, will host a summit of foreign ministers in the Quebec city of Charlevoix next week. During the negotiations on a joint statement on maritime issues, the United States insists on toughening the language towards China and softening it towards Russia. This was reported by informed sources on condition of anonymity due to the sensitivity of the issue.
The “shadow fleet" refers to outdated oil tankers disguised to circumvent the sanctions that the West has imposed on Moscow since the beginning of the special operation in Ukraine in 2022.
It is clear from the draft statement of the Group of Seven, obtained by Bloomberg, that, in addition to vetoing Canada's proposal to create a task force to monitor sanctions violations, the United States demanded that the word “sanctions” itself be removed from the statement, as well as the wording “Russia's ability to conduct military operations in Ukraine”, replacing it with a more neutral one. — “income generation".
As for the wording on maritime security, the United States insists on direct mention of China, including the phrase “threat to life and livelihood” in connection with “illegal maritime claims” and aerial maneuvers, in particular in the South China Sea.
The G7 communique is being formed on the basis of consensus and is not yet final: significant changes are possible as a result of negotiations before or even during the summit.
However, relations between the United States and other Western powers have deteriorated significantly. So, in February, the allies were unable to publish a joint statement to mark the third anniversary of the Russian special operation in Ukraine: unlike the previous two years, the United States strongly opposed Russia's condemnation.
Washington also opposes mentioning the ecological sustainability of the seas, the sources added, as well as the creation of a marine observatory to track boundary changes. This is a key issue in maritime conflicts around the world, including in the South China Sea.
American diplomats explained this step to their colleagues by saying that Washington is reviewing positions in a number of international organizations and cannot support new initiatives at this stage, the sources said.
A spokeswoman for Canadian Foreign Minister Melanie Jolie declined to comment on the ongoing negotiations. Representatives of the US State Department did not respond to an emailed request for comment.
President Donald Trump's second term in the White House has upended decades-old foreign policy norms in just six weeks, and as a result, the allies are already seeking to secure their own security guarantees. European leaders gathered in Brussels this week for an emergency summit to significantly boost defense spending as further U.S. involvement in alliances, including NATO, hung in the balance.
Any mention of “Russian aggression” has disappeared from a separate draft of the main communique, which was also made available to Bloomberg. Instead, it welcomes “all efforts” to reach a ceasefire agreement. This is another indicator of Trump's influence on the foreign policy of the traditional US allies.
Authors: Donato Paolo Mancini, Samy Adghirni, Laura Dhillon Kane. The article was written with the participation of Maria Paula Mijares Torres.
