The USA is looking for a way to make the “shadow fleet” of the Russian Federation less effective

The US government plans to halve Russia’s income from oil and gas sales by 2030, emphasizing the maintenance of sanctions for many years.

Limiting Putin’s ability to finance an invasion of Ukraine should ensure that Russia can never again attack its neighbors, US Assistant Secretary of State for Energy Jeffrey Payette said.

However, a large part of this oil passes through the “shadow fleet”, the opaque ownership of which makes it difficult to limit them with sanctions. Some, however, are still carried by Western vessels operating with Western insurance.

Payette added that the U.S. is looking for “ways to make this shadow fleet less effective.”

Asked whether Washington would support measures that would force Western insurers to demand more information from shippers and conduct more thorough inspections of vessels carrying Russian oil, Payette said: “We will monitor developments.”