Belgian Prime Minister Bart De Wever is unmoved in his opposition to a raid on Moscow’s funds held in a Brussels bank to support a loan to Ukraine.

The Reform leader recently used media interviews to back Christopher Harborne's company while promising to cut taxes and regulations on crypto firms

Turkish shipping company Besiktas Shipping says it is stopping all cargo operations connected to Russia, Reuters reported , citing a company statement. In late November, the company’s oil tanker Mersin was damaged by explosions while at anchor off the coast of Senegal. “Throughout our operations, we have strictly complied with all international sanctions, fully observing the G7/EU oil price cap mechanism and all relevant trade restrictions. However, the security situation in the region has deteriorated significantly. After a thorough assessment, we concluded that the risks to our vessels and crews have become unacceptable. As the safety of our personnel and assets is our top priority, we are ceasing all such operations.” According to its website , Istanbul-based Besiktas Shipping owns one of Turkey’s largest tanker fleets (29 tankers). As previously reported, on November 27 Mersin was damaged by four external explosions and began to take on water. The owner says no crew members were injured and there was no cargo leak. The cause of the blasts remains unclear. Turkish outlet Istanbul Haber reported the tanker was attacked by Ukrainian drones because it was carrying Russian oil. Between November 28 and December 2, three tankers linked to Russia were reported attacked off Turkey’s coast.

Ukrainian underwater drones have struck two tankers belonging to Russia’s so-called shadow fleet in the Black Sea, according to an official in Ukraine’s security services (SBU).

Trump’s fixation on personal flattery feeds his authoritarianism. It makes for bad diplomacy, too.