Bipartisan CODEL McCain Calls for Increased Interdiction of Russia’s Shadow Fleet

Munich, Germany - The members of CODEL McCain, a bipartisan Senate delegation to the Munich Security Conference led by U.S. Senators Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI) and Lindsey Graham (R-SC), today unanimously released the following statement:

"Our bipartisan delegation to the Munich Security Conference strongly recommends significantly increased interdiction of the shadow fleet servicing Russia's oil economy, including: constant surveillance of vessels' location via marine GPS, AIS and satellite, with intervention when shipboard devices are disabled; more aggressive investigation and sanctioning of shadow fleet owners and facilitators; strong deterrence of maritime insurance to shadow fleet vessels; and, as appropriate, boarding, inspecting, arresting and/or seizing the vessel."

The statement was also signed by Senators Richard Blumenthal (D-CT), Mark Warner (D-VA), Andy Kim (D-NJ), Peter Welch (D-VT), Jacky Rosen (D-NV), Steve Daines (R-MT), Lisa Murkowski (R-AK), Chris Coons (D-DE), Elissa Slotkin (D-MI), and Jeanne Shaheen (D-NH).

Additional information on the 2026 Munich Security Conference:

https://securityconference.org/en/msc-2026

YouTube Channel for the 2026 Munich Security Conference panels and discussions:

https://www.youtube.com/@MunSecConf

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