The European Union on Wednesday proposed creating a hub to boost security in the Black Sea by gathering information from multiple countries to monitor the strategically important region more closely.The move comes as European officials warn about a continued threat from Russia and as concerns deepen across the EU about risks to undersea infrastructure.
Belgium seized an oil tanker belonging to the Russian shadow fleet on Sunday and suspected of sailing with a "false flag and false documents", Belgian Defence Minister Theo Francken said.Western sanctions imposed on Russia for invading Ukraine and aimed at cutting its oil revenues have led to the rise of a "shadow fleet" of tankers helping Moscow to keep its crude exports flowing.
The European Union adopted fresh sanctions against Russian oil interests on Monday, targeting traders Murtaza Lakhani and Etibar Eyyub for helping Moscow to circumvent Western sanctions on crude exports that help to fund Russia's war in Ukraine.The EU has imposed 19 packages of sanctions so far
The EU and Britain announced new sanctions against Russia on Tuesday without waiting for Washington to join them, a day after President Donald Trump's phone call with Vladimir Putin brought about neither a ceasefire in Ukraine nor fresh U.S. sanctions.London and Brussels said their new measures would zero in on Moscow's "shadow fleet" of oil tankers and financial firms that have helped it avoid