Rubio voices concern over attacks on US-linked ships in Ukraine war
Rubio is due to meet Russian foreign minister Sergei Lavrov in New York on September 23
Published
Secretary of State Marco Rubio said he is concerned about US-linked ships being targeted in the Ukraine war, in an interview with Fox News.
The comment comes as the Kremlin blames Ukraine for disruption in the Black Sea and says Russia is developing new routes for its grain exports. Russian President Vladimir Putin and Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan have discussed a Turkish plan for Black Sea shipping, with further diplomatic contact expected, the Kremlin says.
Shipping in active war zones carries risk on any given day, but a public statement of concern from Washington about US-linked vessels points to a reassessment of exposure in the Black Sea as Russian targeting escalates. That adds a new strand to supply risk already elevated by the Middle East and the Ukraine war, at a moment when markets are pricing in a recovery in Russian diesel output and in Turkish efforts to stabilise the region. A further squeeze on Black Sea shipping routes could tighten oil flows just as those assumptions are being tested.