President Biden is expected to ban Russian-flagged ships from entering American ports in the latest expansion of US sanctions over the invasion of Ukraine, according to a report Wednesday.
The move would follow a similar ban imposed by the British government and decisions by the world’s largest container ship operators to stop docking in Russia, according to theWall Street Journal.
“I expect an announcement from Washington today that will ban all Russian ships from our shores,” Gene Seroka, executive director of the Port of Los Angeles, the nation’s largest maritime gateway, told the Journal.
A White House spokeswoman said a decision had yet to be made.
A ban on Russian-flagged ships would be largely symbolic, with shipping and port officials saying they carry less than 1 percent of the cargo imported into the US, according to the report.
An intercepted Russian-flagged cargo ship sits in the harbor of Boulogne-sur-Mer, France, on February 26, 2022. Photo by Sylvain Lefevre/Getty ImagesAnd while Russia owns a large fleet of oil tankers, those ships don’t usually fly its flag.
On Tuesday, Britain announced a ban on vessels owned or operated by anyone with ties to Russia and also gave officials expanded powers to detain Russian ships as part of new sanctions that also included measures targeting the Russian Central Bank and Russia’s sovereign wealth fund.
UK Foreign Secretary Liz Truss said the moves were made “in close coordination with our allies” and “will degrade Russia’s economy and help make sure [President Vladimir] Putin loses.”
A map of Russian attacks in Ukraine as of Wednesday, March 2, 2022.
“We stand with Ukraine, its people and its democracy, and will continue to support them diplomatically, economically, politically and defensively,” Truss added
