Latest news with #AndriusSytas
Yahoo
a day ago
- Business
- Yahoo
NATO east flank backs Ukraine membership, Poland, Romania and Lithuania say
By Andrius Sytas VILNIUS (Reuters) -Nordic, Baltic and central European NATO members are committed to Ukrainian membership of the military alliance, the leaders of Poland, Romania and Lithuania said following a summit of the so-called B9 and Nordic countries on Monday. NATO allies declared their support for Ukraine's "irreversible path" towards membership at last year's Washington summit. But President Donald Trump has since said that prior U.S. support for Ukraine's NATO bid was a cause of the war and has further indicated that Ukraine will not get membership. Russian President Vladimir Putin's conditions for ending the war in Ukraine include a demand that Western leaders pledge in writing to stop enlarging NATO eastwards, and lift a chunk of sanctions on Russia, Reuters reported last week. Poland, Romania and Lithuania said on Monday, after a meeting of Nordic, Baltic and Eastern European leaders in the capital of Lithuania, that the region remains committed to the path towards Ukrainian NATO membership, and called for further pressure on Russia, including more sanctions. "We stand firm on Allied decision and commitment regarding Ukraine's irreversible path to full Euro-Atlantic integration, including NATO membership. Ukraine has the right to choose its own security arrangements and to decide its own future, free from outside interference," they said in a joint statement released on behalf of all meeting participants. The meeting, held ahead of a NATO summit at The Hague later this month, included Bulgaria, the Czech Republic, Estonia, Hungary, Latvia, Slovakia, Denmark, Finland, Iceland, Norway, and Sweden.
Yahoo
18-05-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Estonian PM vows to keep up checks on Russia's 'shadow fleet'
By Andrius Sytas TALLINN (Reuters) -Estonia will keep checking Russian "shadow fleet" vessels, Prime Minister Kristen Michal told Reuters on Sunday, days after Russia deployed a SU-35 fighter jet as Estonia attempted to alter the course of one such ship. Estonia said the jet briefly breached NATO airspace during the Baltic country's attempt to inspect a Russian-bound oil tanker, thought to be part of a so-called shadow fleet defying Western sanctions on Moscow over its invasion of Ukraine. Last week's incident "doesn't change a thing", with Estonia determined to continue checking suspicious tankers, Michal said. "I would say that everybody - Estonians, Finns - will be monitoring these kind of ships, and if there's something suspicious we will ask about it. Everybody will do that," Michal said in an interview. Michal said the Estonian Navy had no plans to board the suspect tanker, which then sailed into Russian waters, escorted by the Su-35 and an Estonian patrol boat. Estonia detained another shadow fleet tanker, Kiwala, in April. Russia receives an estimated 60% of its oil revenues via shipments by the "shadow fleet" to buyers in countries such as China and India, according to Estonian estimates. The vessels, which frequently have opaque ownership structures and sail without top-tier Western insurance and safety certification, are often loaded in Russian Baltic Sea ports, approached via the waters between Estonia and Finland. "It's understandable why Russia is getting a little bit nervous," said Michal, saying Russian oil imports should be further limited. "The questions for us - not Estonia, but for Europe and for the United States - is how come Russia is waging the war for the fourth year, and is still selling products on the world market?," he said. Russia views sanctions as an attempt to crush its economy, and has said its ships must have free passage in the Baltic. DEFENCE SPENDING BOOST Estonia, one of the most outspoken critics of Russia in NATO and the European Union, was annexed in the 1940s by the Soviet Union, which agreed with Nazi Germany to carve up the region. For Michal, the only way for Europe to hope for a lasting peace with Russia is to have a strong military. Estonia has pledged at least 5% of GDP for defence to build up its forces, and hopes the larger NATO members will follow suit at a summit in The Hague next month. "Nobody loves governments who raise taxes for defence, but ... you have to do that", Michal said, adding that he hoped U.S. President Donald Trump would raise the threat of new sanctions during a planned call with Russian President Vladimir Putin on Monday. "I hope that he will continue this line, that the pressure is mounting," he said.
Yahoo
18-05-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Estonia says Russia detained a tanker in Baltic Sea
By Andrius Sytas TALLINN (Reuters) -Russia detained a Greek-owned oil tanker on Sunday after it left an Estonian Baltic Sea port, the Estonian Foreign Ministry said, adding that it had alerted NATO allies to the incident. The Liberia-flagged ship Green Admire was leaving Sillamae port using a designated navigation channel that crosses Russian territorial waters, the ministry said in a statement. "Today's incident shows that Russia continues to behave unpredictably," said Foreign Minister Margus Tsahkna. "I have also informed our Allies of the event." The Green Admire had departed Sillamae port on Saturday 18:40 GMT, and on Sunday afternoon was anchored near Russia's Hogland island, according to Marine Traffic, a website that tracks vessels. The ship was bound for Rotterdam with a load of Estonia's shale oil, said the Estonian Transport Administration. The navigation channel out of Sillamae through Russian territorial waters has been set up under an agreement between Estonia, Finland and Russia to avoid shallows in the Estonian waters, the administration said. Vessels sailing into and out of the port will now be guided through Estonian territorial waters, it added. The Baltic has seen confrontations at sea over what NATO countries have described as Russian efforts to evade sanctions and sabotage undersea cables and pipelines. On Thursday, Estonia said Russia had sent a fighter jet into NATO airspace over the Baltic Sea after an attempt to stop a Russia-bound tanker thought to be part of a so-called 'shadow fleet' used by Moscow to evade sanctions.
The Print
15-05-2025
- Politics
- The Print
Estonia says Russia sent jet after attempt to stop sanction-breaking ship
Estonia's navy said the unflagged Jaguar ship, which went onto a UK sanctions list last week, refused to cooperate when asked to stop and was then escorted to Russian waters. Russia, which regards sanctions as a malign attempt to crush its economy, says all its ships have free passage in the Baltic and any attempt to stop them is dangerous. By Andrius Sytas and Sabine Siebold TALLINN/ANTALYA, Turkey (Reuters) – Estonia said on Thursday that Moscow had briefly sent a fighter jet into NATO airspace over the Baltic Sea during an attempt to stop a Russian-bound oil tanker thought to be part of a 'shadow fleet' defying Western sanctions on Moscow. 'The Russian Federation sent a fighter jet to check the situation, and this fighter jet violated NATO territory for close to one minute,' Estonian Foreign Minister Margus Tsahkna told reporters in Turkey ahead of a meeting of foreign ministers from the transatlantic military alliance. '(The) Russian Federation is ready to protect the 'shadow fleet'… The situation is really serious,' Tsahkna added. Western nations say Moscow is using a 'shadow fleet' of more than 100 ships to dodge sanctions that President Vladimir Putin views as a part of a campaign to quash its global influence. Moscow sends millions of barrels of oil and fuel every day to buyers in China and India and has warned against any attempt to violate its vessels' freedom of movement. The tanker was sailing in international waters, between Estonia and Finland, and refused Estonian navy requests to change course, a spokesperson for the Baltic country's defence forces later told Reuters. A Russian SU-35 fighter jet approached the tanker and circled it, flying in international airspace except when it violated Estonian airspace briefly as it first approached the scene, the spokesperson added. Finland accused Russian ships of behaving recklessly in the area while Lithuania expressed fears of conflict. 'The probability of a serious escalation in the Baltic Sea is growing,' Lithuanian Prime Minister Gintautas Paluckas said. 'Russia is clearly demonstrating that it is ready to protect the route for its oil. We need to act carefully and rationally, so that escalation does not turn into a military clash.' NATO chief Mark Rutte said the alliance and Estonia were in 'close contact' about the incident. 'FOLLOW MY INSTRUCTIONS' Estonia said NATO military aircraft had also taken off to inspect the Gabon-listed Jaguar. It was near Naissaar Island off the Estonian capital Tallinn when the navy communicated with it by radio on Tuesday afternoon, Commander Ivo Vark told Reuters in an email message. Given it was sailing 'without a nationality', the navy sought to verify its documents and status, Vark said. But when it refused to cooperate and continued towards Russian waters, the navy opted to escort it there with a patrol ship. On Thursday, the Jaguar was anchored near the Russian port of Primorsk, Marine Traffic data showed. Footage on X purporting to be filmed from the bridge of the tanker shows an Estonian navy patrol ship, helicopter and aircraft nearby. An identification number seen in the video matches the Jaguar. 'This is Estonian warship … follow my instructions, alter your course to 105 immediately,' a voice in English sounds over a radio. 'We are met by helicopters, they demand we go on anchor,' says another voice in Russian off-camera. Another voice, in Hindi, says: 'The plane is on top of us. It's either an aircraft or a drone. The military ship is turning towards the stern of the vessel.' A military jet, which Estonia does not operate, is also glimpsed flying nearby. On X, Margarita Simonyan, head of Russia's state media outlet RT, who posted the video, said the figher jet was sent to prevent the vessel's seizure. Authorities in Gabon did not immediately comment on Estonia's assertion that the ship is on their registry. In another incident on April 11, Estonia detained and boarded a Russia-bound oil tanker, Kiwala, accusing it of sailing without a valid country flag. The tanker was released two weeks later after Djibouti confirmed its registry. Kremlin aide Nikolai Patrushev told the Kommersant newspaper last month that Russia's navy was ready to protect its ships. 'Hotheads in London or Brussels need to understand this clearly,' he said, adding that Western efforts to block Russian ships were beginning to resemble a 'naval blockade'. It was unclear if Estonia acted on its own initiative or on a request from NATO. Washington is pushing hard for a Russia-Ukraine peace deal, with U.S. President Donald Trump saying he could rachet up sanctions if Moscow refuses to cooperate. (Reporting by Andrius Sytas in Tallinn and Sabine Siebold in Antalya; Additional reporting by Dmitry Zhdannikov in London, Supantha Mukherjee in Stockholm, Andrew Gray in Brussels, Gerauds Wilfried Obangome in Libreville; Writing by Andrius Sytas and Gwladys Fouche; Editing by Clarence Fernandez, Andrew Cawthorne and Gareth Jones) Disclaimer: This report is auto generated from the Reuters news service. ThePrint holds no responsibility for its content.
Yahoo
15-05-2025
- Yahoo
Estonian navy says it tried to detain one of Russian 'shadow fleet' in Baltic Sea
By Andrius Sytas RIGA (Reuters) - The Estonian Navy said it attempted on Tuesday to detain a Russia-bound oil tanker under sanction by Britain, saying it sailed illegally without a flag, but did not board it when it refused to cooperate, instead escorting it to Russian waters. The vessel, Jaguar, which Britain added to its sanctions list last Friday, is one of about 100 in Russia's "shadow fleet", a term Western countries use for ships they accuse Moscow of deploying to avoid international sanctions. They are typically not regulated or insured by conventional Western organisations. The ship was near Naissaar Island, off Tallinn, when the Estonian Navy communicated with it by radio at 1530 GMT on Tuesday, Commander Ivo Vark told Reuters in an email message. As it was sailing "without a nationality", Estonia "had an obligation to verify the vessel's documents and legal status", Vark said on Wednesday. "The vessel denied cooperation and continued its journey toward Russia ... given the vessel's lack of nationality, the use of force, including boarding the vessel, was deemed unnecessary." An Estonian patrol escorted the Jaguar until it reached Russian waters, Vark added. The Estonian defence ministry declined to comment. On Thursday, the Jaguar was anchored near the Russian port of Primorsk, Marine Traffic data showed. It was listed there under the flag of the central African nation of Gabon. Vark was responding to a Reuters request for comment on a recording on X purporting to show the boarding attempt, but which could not be independently verified. Filmed from a bridge of a tanker whose IMO identification number matches that of the Jaguar, the video shows a navy patrol boat, a helicopter and a patrol aircraft hovering nearby. "This is Estonian warship ... follow my instructions, alter your course to 105 immediately," says a voice on the radio. In Russian, a voice says off-camera, "We are met by helicopters, they demand we go on anchor." A military jet, which Estonia does not operate, is also glimpsed flying nearby. Vark did not reply to a query if the incident was connected to Tuesday's alleged breach of Estonian airspace by a Russian Su-35 military jet that drew a protest from Estonia. In an incident on April 11, Estonia detained and boarded a Russia-bound oil tanker, Kiwala, accusing it of sailing without a valid country flag. The tanker cooperated, and was released two weeks later.
