France demands that the 20th EU sanctions package hit Russia’s “shadow fleet” hard
29.01.2026 - 12:19
The expected measures include a ban on any maritime services that facilitate the operation of vessels under false flags.
Paris insists that the next, 20th package of EU sanctions contain “particularly tough” restrictions against vessels of the Russian “shadow fleet”, French Foreign Minister Jean-Noel Barrot said, according to “European Pravda”.
The minister stressed that recent Russian attacks on civilian and energy infrastructure show that Moscow is not ready for honest negotiations. Therefore, the 20th package should be “no less powerful than the 18th and 19th”, with a focus on stopping the movement of vessels of the “shadow fleet”.
According to Barrot, the EU should ban any services that facilitate the operation of vessels under false flags and with opaque ownership. The goal is to make it more difficult to transport Russian oil in circumvention of restrictions and to strengthen control over risky operations at sea.
On the eve of the Presidential Commissioner for Sanctions Policy Vladyslav Vlasyuk noted that it is necessary to sanction not only individual vessels, but also the entire vertical infrastructure.
