US senators seek to sanction Russia's 'shadow fleet', Financial Times reports
A bipartisan group of U.S. senators plans to introduce legislation on Sept. 19 to tighten sanctions on Russia's so-called "shadow fleet" of oil tankers, the Financial Times reported.
Russia's shadow fleet has been increasingly targeted by Western sanctions as Ukraine's international partners seek to limit Russian oil revenues, which help fund Moscow's war machine.
The shadow fleet includes hundreds of older, often uninsured or poorly maintained tankers. These typically operate under the flags of other countries and have little transparency, making it difficult for regulators to enforce sanctions.
The proposed Shadow Fleets Act, sponsored by U.S. Senators Jim Risch and Jeanne Shaheen, would expand penalties on vessels that have allowed Russia to skirt Western energy restrictions since its 2022 full-scale invasion of Ukraine.
Lawmakers said the measure would also target Russian liquefied natural gas (LNG) projects and Moscow's defense industrial base.
"(Russian President Vladimir) Putin will use every trick in the book to evade U.S. sanctions, and the U.S. is cracking down on this illicit shadow fleet of ships that he uses to fund his war," Risch said in a statement.
The bill has support from both Republican and Democratic parties, including Trump allies Lindsey Graham and Tom Cotton, according to the Financial Times.
It follows other recent proposals in Congress to escalate economic pressure on Moscow, including efforts to label Russia a state sponsor of terrorism over its deportation of Ukrainian children.
The push comes as Trump's diplomacy with Putin has failed to yield results. The U.S. president hosted Putin in Alaska in August, warning of consequences if Moscow rejected a ceasefire deal.
So far, Trump has not imposed any major sanctions on Russia apart from the imposition of a 25% tariff on India in August over its purchases of Russian oil.
The European Union is also moving ahead with new measures. The European Commission proposed on Sept. 19 a sweeping new sanctions package that includes a complete import ban on Russian LNG by 2027, penalties on 118 shadow fleet vessels, and restrictions on Russian banks and third-country traders helping Moscow bypass restrictions.
EU Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said the package is a response to Moscow's "contempt for diplomacy and international law" after Russian drones recently violated Polish and Romanian airspace.
