Chris Fearne discusses Russian shadow fleet monitoring with Ukraine counterpart

Ukraine called for Malta’s support in strengthening international efforts against Russia’s illicit trade with stolen Ukraine grain, in an exchange between foreign ministers Chris Fearne and Andrii Sybiha.

The telephone exchange took place on the occasion of Ukraine’s 35th independence anniversary.

“Malta continues to support Ukraine against Russian aggression and in monitoring of the shadow fleet in the Mediterranean,” Foreign Minister Chris Fearne said in a short message on X.

Telephone call with Ukrainian Foreign Minister @andrii_sybiha on the 35th anniversary of Ukraine’s independence. Malta continues to support Ukraine against Russian aggression and in monitoring of the shadow fleet in the Mediterranean. 🇲🇹🇺🇦 pic.twitter.com/O5YQjRiSZv

— Chris Fearne (@chrisfearne) August 27, 2026

Meanwhile, Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha on X, described the exchange as “a productive call” in which the pair discussed strengthening Ukraine-Malta cooperation and the most urgent challenges facing Ukraine.

“We focused on the deteriorating security situation in the Black Sea and the need to safeguard freedom of navigation, Ukrainian ports and the maritime corridor that remains vital for Ukraine’s agricultural exports and global food security,” Sybiha said. “I called for Malta’s support in protecting civilian shipping and strengthening international efforts against Russia’s illicit trade with stolen Ukrainian grain.”

The Ukrainian foreign minister and Fearne also discussed practical support for Ukraine’s energy resilience ahead of the winter.

“I underscored the importance of additional contributions to the Ukraine Energy Support Fund,” Sybiha said.

The two also exchanged views on strengthening sanctions against Russia, including efforts to counter its shadow fleet and the networks sustaining its war machine.

I had a productive call with Malta’s Foreign Minister @chrisfearne to discuss strengthening Ukraine-Malta cooperation and addressing the most urgent challenges facing Ukraine.

We focused on the deteriorating security situation in the Black Sea and the need to safeguard freedom… pic.twitter.com/3qO1nT6wT3

— Andrii Sybiha 🇺🇦 (@andrii_sybiha) August 26, 2026

“In this context, the Global Centre for Maritime Sanctions Monitoring, based in Valletta, plays an important role in strengthening maritime monitoring, facilitating information sharing, and countering sanctions evasion,” Sybiha said.

The GCMSM is a UN office based in Malta that provides real-time maritime monitoring to prevent sanctions evasion.

“We agreed on the need to further strengthen our cooperation to deprive Russia of the revenues it uses to finance its war. I stressed that as Russia continues its attacks, pressure must grow accordingly. This includes stronger sanctions, particularly anti-ballistic sanctions targeting the ecosystem behind Russia’s missile and drone production and limiting its ability to terrorise Ukrainian civilians,” Sybiha said, adding Ukraine “highly values” Malta’s solidarity.