The Prime Minister of the United Kingdom, Kir Starmer announced the suppression of her so-called shadow fleet of oil tankers used to circumvent international sanctions, saying 44 European nations approved the plan at a meeting of the European Political Community hosted in . The joint “call for action” – first mentioned earlier in the week by Bloomberg – aims to disrupt the fleet of around 600 ships that Western countries say are being used by Russia to transport around 1.7 million barrels of oil a day, according to a statement released yesterday (18.7.2024) by Downing Street. Britain’s government also announced sanctions on 11 tankers that, as he said, were being used to transport Russian oil. “With our European partners, we sent a clear message to those who allow Putin’s efforts to avoid sanctions: we will not allow Russia’s shadow fleet and the dirty money he produces to flow freely through European waters and endanger our security,” Starmer said in comments published by his office, after the Prime Minister hosted some 46 European leaders at the summit at Blenheim Palace near Oxford. Ukrainian President Volontimir Zelensky will attend a meeting of the Starmer cabinet to discuss the measures today (19.7.2024), and will become the first foreign leader to speak in person at the meeting after US President Bill Clinton in 1997, according to the announcement.