UK detains superyacht owned by Russian businessman in London's Canary Wharf
March 29, 2022, 2:10 pm

UK detains superyacht owned by Russian businessman in London's Canary Wharf

Westminster Abbey in London (File photo: Pixabay)

The Swiss Info reported, citing Reuters, the UK government said on Tuesday, Britain has detained a 38 million pound ($49.67 million) superyacht owned by a Russian businessman which was docked in the Canary Wharf financial district of London.

The 58.5 metre Dutch-built yacht, named Phi, was detained under the government's Russian sanctions, the first time the regulations have been used to detain a ship.

The government said Phi is owned by a Russian businessman but that ownership was "deliberately well hidden", with the company the ship is registered to based in the islands of St Kitts and Nevis, and the ship carrying Maltese flags.

Transport Secretary Grant Shapps said in a statement: "Today we’ve detained a 38 million pound superyacht and turned an icon of Russia’s power and wealth into a clear and stark warning to Putin and his cronies."

Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine (File photo: Euromaidan Press)

"Detaining the Phi proves, yet again, that we can and will take the strongest possible action against those seeking to benefit from Russian connections."

Phi was first identified as being potentially Russian owned on March 13, the government said, and a subsequent investigation led to its detention. The government said it was also looking at a number of other vessels.

Liz Truss reveals UK's conditions for lifting Russia sanctions

The government said the ship was in Canary Wharf for the superyacht awards and was planning to depart on Tuesday.

Source: swissinfo

Russian warplanes, Syrian regime forces target Turkish positions in Aleppo countryside Study says mental health problem caused by COVID-19 in U.S. 'prevalent and persistent'

Upon arriving to participate in the summit of the European Political Community, which includes around forty heads of state in Budapest, he said, "I look forward to sitting with the elected U.S. president and seeing how we will collectively ensure we meet challenges, including the threats from Russia and North Korea." He also noted that the strengthening of ties between Russia and North Korea poses a threat to the United States as well, according to reports from Agence France-Presse.

Before Trump's victory, Rutte expressed confidence that a united Washington would remain part of the defensive alliance, even if Trump became the 47th president of the United States. In an interview with German public broadcaster ZDF last Monday night, he stated that both Republicans and Democrats understand that NATO serves not only the security of Europe but also that of America. He added that both candidates are aware that the security of the United States is closely tied to NATO.

On Wednesday, NATO congratulated Trump on his victory but did not address the Ukrainian issue.

It is noteworthy that the relationship between the elected U.S. president and the defense alliance was not the best during his first term in the White House. Trump criticized NATO member states multiple times and even hinted at withdrawing from the alliance unless they increased their financial contributions.

Additionally, the issue of the Russian-Ukrainian war is one of the matters that complicate relations between the two sides, especially since Trump has repeatedly stated that he can end this ongoing conflict, which began in 2022, quickly. He implied that he had a peace plan between Kyiv and Moscow, while his vice president, JD Vance, revealed aspects of that plan, which stipulated Ukraine's commitment not to join NATO, thereby sending reassuring signals to the Russians.

Furthermore, many NATO member states in Europe fear that Trump might halt military aid to Ukraine after he previously criticized the U.S. for pouring funds into supporting Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky.