France is determined to uphold international law and to ensure the effective enforcement of sanctions.
French President Emmanuel Macron on Thursday announced that his country has intercepted a sanctioned Russian oil tanker in the Mediterranean.
“This morning, the French Navy boarded an oil tanker coming from Russia, subject to international sanctions and suspected of flying a false flag,” Macron said in a post on X.
According to the French President, the operation was conducted on the high seas in the Mediterranean, with the support of several of our allies.
“It was carried out in strict compliance with the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea,” Macron said.
We will not tolerate any violation.
This morning, the French Navy boarded an oil tanker coming from Russia, subject to international sanctions and suspected of flying a false flag.
He also said that France was determined to uphold international law and to ensure the effective enforcement of sanctions.
The tanker, named the GRINCH, was sailing from Murmansk in northern Russia and is subject to international sanctions.
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According to the French maritime police, the interception was carried out on high seas in the Western Mediterranean, between the southern coast of Spain and the northern coast of Morocco.
Navies of other countries, including Britain, supported the operation, the maritime police said in a statement.
The EU has imposed 19 packages of sanctions against Russia so far, but Moscow has adapted to most measures and continues to sell millions of barrels of oil to countries such as India and China, typically at discounted prices.
In October, France detained another sanctioned tanker, the Boracay, off its west coast and released it after a few days.
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Responding to the French seizure of the Russian oil tanker, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, who, during his speech at the World Economic Forum, criticised Europe for its inaction on Moscow, said it was the kind of resolve the continent needed.
“This is exactly the kind of resolve needed to ensure that Russian oil no longer finances Russia’s war. Russian tankers operating near European shores must be stopped. Sanctions against the entire infrastructure of the shadow fleet must be tough,” he said in a post on X.
Zelenskyy also suggested that sanctioned Russian vessels must be apprehended the seized oil should be sold.
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France is determined to uphold international law and to ensure the effective enforcement of sanctions. 
