The US and EU are ‘seriously’ discussing imposing sanctions on Russian ports to pressure the Kremlin to stop harassing merchant ships going to Ukraine’s ports in the Sea of Azov,

The US and EU are ‘seriously’ discussing imposing sanctions on Russian ports to pressure the Kremlin to stop harassing merchant ships going to Ukraine’s ports in the Sea of Azov, Ukraine’s Infrastructure Minister, Volodymyr Omelyan, tells Ukrainian TV. “Sanctions on Russian ports in the Sea of ​​Azov are now being seriously discussed — and I hope that it will also be in the Black Sea region,” he says. By detaining a ship for a day, Russia’s Coast Guard imposes additional costs of $15-30,000. “The logic is very simple – they increase the price of logistics,” he said, adding the cost of delays since mid-April totals $35 million. “[The EU] realized that, due to the Russian blockade, European taxpayers pay more for Ukrainian goods.”