French President Emmanuel Macron stated that the French Navy had detained the tanker Deliver off the coast of Sicily, which he said belongs to what is known as the Russian shadow fleet. The French Navy is currently escorting the vessel to a port, where further inspections will take place.

According to the TASS news agency, the incident occurred on June 23rd. The tanker, sailing under the flag of Cameroon, was reportedly heading from Primorsk, Russia, according to the French Maritime Prefecture of the Mediterranean. An inspection team examined the ship's documents, and according to the French side, suspicions about the legitimate use of the flag were confirmed. Macron claims that the vessel was sailing off the coast of Sicily in violation of maritime law.

At the same time, the British newspaper The Daily Telegraph, citing its sources, reported that British Prime Minister Keir Starmer is considering selling more than 100,000 tons of oil from the tanker Smyrtos, which was detained in the English Channel. According to the newspaper, British officials are operating under the assumption that the oil now belongs to the United Kingdom, and London has the right to decide what to do with it.

According to The Daily Telegraph, the value of the oil is approximately 35 million pounds. The British government is reportedly considering a proposal that the proceeds from the sale could be transferred to the Ukrainian army. The British military had previously detained the tanker Smyrtos in the English Channel. Starmer, in a joint statement with the Ministry of Defense on June 14th, stated that the ship belongs to what is known as the Russian shadow fleet.

Russia has reacted to the British plans. Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters that Moscow would study the legal options for responding to the United Kingdom's intention to sell oil from the tanker Smyrtos, which was sailing from the port of Ust-Luga. He added that Russia would use all available legal mechanisms.

Peskov also noted that London has historically not shied away from using "pirate tactics." A similar statement was made by Vladimir Dzhabarov, First Deputy Chairman of the Federation Council Committee on Foreign Affairs. In the Vesti television program, he stated that Britain is once again engaging in piracy by announcing plans to sell oil from the detained tanker, which, according to him, is "in its DNA." In connection with possible retaliatory measures, the senator proposed taking strong action against British interests.

gnews.cz - GH