Spain to propose banning Russian ships from EU ports, waters

By Alyssa McMurtry

OVIEDO, Spain (AA) – Spain will propose banning Russian ships from EU ports and waters, the country’s transport minister said on Monday.

Speaking to broadcaster TVE, Raquel Sanchez said Spain is leading the charge in Europe to bring sanctions against Russia to the maritime space.

“We are proposing a series of measures that range from banning the importation and exportation of ships, to banning supplying Russian vessels and the measure that I believe would be most effective — banning ships with the Russian flag from docking in Spanish ports,” she said.

Meanwhile, she said banning Russian ships from Spanish waters is also on the table, even though it would mean breaking international agreements.

Going even further, she said these sanctions could apply to both ships flying the Russian flag and those with the Russian capital behind them.

“This would be more complicated to figure out, but we are reaching this extreme,” she continued.

Sanchez said Monday morning that Spain will bring the proposal to the EU in “the hours to come.”

“Ideally, these measures would be agreed upon unanimously in the EU with the common goal of stopping this invasion, this madness of Putin, who is the only person responsible for this conflict,” she said.

On Sunday, the EU announced a historic package of sanctions against Russia, including closing its airspace for Russian planes and banning pro-Kremlin media.