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Cross post from https://lemmy.sdf.org/post/30692457

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The US has rejected a Canadian proposal to establish a task force that would tackle Russia’s so-called shadow fleet of oil tankers, as the Trump administration re-evaluates its positions across multilateral organizations, according to people familiar with the matter.

Canada, which holds this year’s revolving G-7 presidency, will host a summit of foreign ministers in Charlevoix, Québec, next week. In negotiations to formulate a joint statement on maritime issues, the US is pushing to strengthen language around China while watering down wording on Russia, said the people, who asked not to be identified discussing sensitive matters that aren’t public.

The term “shadow fleet” is used to refer to aging oil tankers concealed to overcome Western sanctions imposed on Moscow since it launched a full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022. [...]

[Edit title for clarity.]

Cross post from https://lemmy.sdf.org/post/30692457

Archived

The US has rejected a Canadian proposal to establish a task force that would tackle Russia’s so-called shadow fleet of oil tankers, as the Trump administration re-evaluates its positions across multilateral organizations, according to people familiar with the matter.

Canada, which holds this year’s revolving G-7 presidency, will host a summit of foreign ministers in Charlevoix, Québec, next week. In negotiations to formulate a joint statement on maritime issues, the US is pushing to strengthen language around China while watering down wording on Russia, said the people, who asked not to be identified discussing sensitive matters that aren’t public.

The term “shadow fleet” is used to refer to aging oil tankers concealed to overcome Western sanctions imposed on Moscow since it launched a full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022. [...]

[Edit title for clarity.]

Cross post from: https://lemmy.sdf.org/post/30692026

Archived

In a speech on the Senate floor, U.S. Senate Democratic Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL), Co-Chair of the Senate Ukraine Caucus, asked for unanimous consent (UC) to pass a simple resolution he introduced condemning Russia’s abduction of Ukrainian children and called on Russia to work with the international community to return all abducted Ukrainian children to their families.

Since Russia’s full-scale war of aggression started in 2022, the Russian government has abducted, forcibly transferred, or facilitated the illegal deportation of at least 20,000 Ukrainian children. Senate Republicans rejected the resolution. They also objected to every other straightforward resolution offered by Senate Democrats, including urging Russian President Putin to end the war, clarifying that Russia started the war, stating that Russia committed war crimes, reaffirming the U.S.-Ukraine relationship and support for its sovereignty, and clarifying that no nation should forcibly seize territory of another.

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In January, a public inquiry into foreign election interference raised concerns about the threat of hostile nations, such as China and Russia, meddling in Canada’s democracy.

While these worries are well founded, Canadians should be equally concerned about the threat posed by our southern neighbour and erstwhile closest ally, the United States, whose tech companies control nearly all our digital public infrastructure, and whose leaders are increasingly aligned with a second Donald Trump administration which poses a direct threat to Canadian sovereignty.

[...]

Throughout most of their history, the major social media platforms have generally reflected this democratic spirit, including strong attitudes toward freedom of expression and a general reticence against appearing politically partisan.

Increasing authoritarianism in the U.S.

But that era is now at an end and Canadians need to be clear-eyed about the danger that American social media platforms will abuse their enormous power and influence to undermine Canadian democracy.

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Canada and the Philippines, both vocal critics of China’s increasingly aggressive actions in the disputed South China Sea, have concluded talks for a key defense pact that would allow their forces to hold joint combat drills and boost defense engagements, the Department of National Defense in Manila said Friday.

Canada and other Western nations have been reinforcing their military presence in the Indo-Pacific to help promote the rule of law and expand trade and investment in the region.

That dovetails with Philippine efforts under President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. to broaden defense ties with friendly countries to bolster his country’s defense as it faces an increasingly assertive China in the disputed South China Sea.

The agreement with Canada “will establish a framework for increased cooperation, fostering closer collaboration between defense and military establishments, improving interoperability between forces and facilitating more effective joint exercises and capacity-building exercises,” the Philippine defense department said.

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Nato's newest members' spending commitments are already ahead of those expressed by several existing members. Last year, Finland spent 2.4% and Sweden 2.2% of their respective GDP on defence, and both aim to raise this to between 2.6% and 3% in the next three years.

Examples of new Nato initiatives on Europe's northern flank include the establishment of new Nato bases, and efforts to establish joint defence forces, in northern Finland.

Plus the formation of The Joint Nordic Air Command, which brings together Finland's, Sweden's, Norway's and Denmark's 250 front-line combat aircraft under a joined up command structure, with flexible basing and backed by shared intelligence.

In addition, substantial investments will be required to replenish stockpiles of advanced weapons systems, including missiles and anti-tank systems, [Swedish defence company Saab CEO Micael] Johansson points out.

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Nato's newest members Sweden and Finland believe they could teach other allied countries a thing or two about defence. They clearly offer new perspectives both on how defence spending should be measured. And perhaps also on how civilian society and private enterprise can play their parts.

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Archived

European financial market infrastructure firm Euroclear, which holds €183 billion in frozen Russian assets, has enlisted the services of bodyguards to protect its top executives against potential threats from Russia [...]

Euroclear has hired the French security firm Amarante to safeguard CEO Valérie Urbain and seven other executive board members. The decision, made in late 2024, was driven by multiple factors. One was the news that Russian intelligence officers had been plotting to assassinate Armin Papperger, CEO of the German defense firm Rheinmetall. Another was a December incident that coincided with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky’s visit to Brussels, when an unidentified drone was spotted hovering near Euroclear’s office, which sits on the same street as the headquarters of Belgium’s domestic intelligence service.

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The federal government is going to court to force a Toronto company to sell a $34-million stake in a Calgary-based lithium firm that it bought off a Chinese company.

The government had already deemed the previous Chinese owner's investment in Lithium Chile Inc. to be harmful to national security, and it says in a Federal Court application that the new buyer has failed to co-operate with efforts to prove it isn't owned or influenced by China's government either.

Lithium is a critical mineral used in batteries and clean power. The application says it is at the heart of Canada's "energy security in the transition to a low-carbon economy."

The Attorney General of Canada filed the application in Federal Court this month for an order directing Gator Capital Ltd. to dispose of its shares in Lithium Chile, headquartered in Calgary with mining properties in Argentina and Chile.

The government claims that Gator's owner, Wing Hong Chan, has not replied to any demands for information after it paid $34 million for the 20 per cent stake in Lithium Chile.

"Gator has repeatedly and deliberately failed to provide information in response to multiple requests for information, three ministerial demands, and repeated attempts to obtain a response from Gator and/or Mr. Chan," the application says.

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Under the Investment Canada Act, the minister can order foreign actors to divest from Canadian businesses if their investments are found to be potentially "injurious to national security"

Chengze Lithium was given 90 days to sell, and one condition of the divestment order was that it couldn't sell or assign them to a Chinese state-owned enterprise, or a company under the influence of the government of the People's Republic of China.

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