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Sweden detains sanctioned oil tanker believed to be linked to Russia’s shadow fleet

STOCKHOLM (AP) — Sweden is investigating a sanctioned tanker that is suspected of being part of the sanctioned Russian “shadow fleet,” according to the Scandinavian country’s civil defense minister.

The Swedish Coast Guard said it boarded and detained the Jin Hui on Sunday on suspicion of flying a false flag while transiting Swedish waters.

The vessel was sailing through the Baltic Sea under a Syrian flag, the coast guard said in a statement. There are also concerns about the vessel’s seaworthiness.

The Jin Hui — which remained anchored off Trelleborg on Monday — is currently on European Union, U.K. and Ukraine sanctions lists, Sweden’s Civil Defense Minister Carl-Oskar Bohlin wrote on X.

The ship’s captain, a Chinese citizen, was arrested on suspicion of using a false document and other offenses, Swedish prosecutors said Monday.

It is the fifth vessel seizure by Sweden’s coast guard in recent weeks.

“Ships with suspected deficiencies in their seaworthiness continue to sail in Swedish waters,” said Daniel Stenling, the coast guard’s deputy chief of operations. “This is not acceptable. We have intervened before, now we are intervening again.”

Russia’s ambassador to Sweden, Sergey Belyaev, said in a statement Wednesday that the Jin Hui is not operating under the Russian flag, and said Swedish authorities told the embassy there were no Russians on board.

The statement did not directly address the allegation regarding the shadow fleet.

Sweden last year said it would step up insurance checks on foreign ships, aimed at tightening controls on Russian vessels suspected of transporting oil and gas or carrying stolen Ukrainian grain.

Trump says EU has until July 4 to approve last year’s trade deal or it will face higher tariffs

WASHINGTON (AP) — President Donald Trump said in a Thursday social media post that goods from the European Union would face higher tariff rates if the 27-member bloc fails to approve last year’s trade framework by July 4. The announcement appeared to be a deadline extension after the president said last Friday that EU autos would face a higher 25% tariff starting this week. Trump made the updated announcement after what he described as a “great call” with European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen. Still, the U.S. president was displeased that the European Parliament had yet to finalize the trade arrangement reached last year, which was further complicated in February by the U.S. Supreme Court ruling that Trump lacked the legal authority to declare an economic emergency to impose the initial tariffs used to pressure the EU into talks. “A promise was made that the EU would deliver their side of the Deal and, as per Agreement, cut their Tariffs to ZERO!” Trump posted. “I agreed to give her until our Country’s 250th Birthday or, unfortunately, their Tariffs would immediately jump to much higher levels.”
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