Russia rejects US sea annexations — RT World News

The Russian Foreign Ministry said Moscow does not recognize Washington's attempt to illegally claim more than 1 million square kilometers of maritime territory, including in the Arctic and the Bering Sea.

Russian representatives informed the Council of the International Seabed Authority about this on Monday. The Council currently meets in Kingston, Jamaica and operates under the 1982 United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS).

The United States is “A unilateral attempt to reduce the area of ​​the seabed under the jurisdiction of the authority, and thus the entire international community,” The Russian Foreign Ministry said in a statement.

US Department of State Announce that it “extended continental shelf” project in December 2023, claiming jurisdiction over nearly 1 million square kilometers outside its territorial waters. UNCLOS allows maritime claims up to 200 nautical miles (370 km) from shore in the world's oceans.

He added, “These unilateral steps taken by the United States do not comply with the rules and procedures set by international law.” The Russian Foreign Ministry said, noting that “It blocked Washington’s latest attempt to use the 1982 agreement exclusively to advance its own interests.”

UNCLOS allows for the possibility of expanding a state's exclusive economic zone if it can prove that the continental shelf extends beyond the 200-mile limit, but states must petition through the appropriate channels, as Russia did in 2015.

Moscow accused Washington “Focusing on their rights and completely ignoring their obligations” When it comes to international law. Although it participated in drafting UNCLOS, the United States has never ratified it.

According to the Russian Foreign Ministry, the memorandum in which Moscow refused to recognize US continental shelf claims had already been delivered to Washington. “Through bilateral channels.”

Maps published by the State Department show that the United States claims territory in six areas, including the Arctic and the Bering Sea along the maritime border with Russia. The Arctic region extends 350 to 680 nautical miles beyond the 200-mile line, while the Bering Sea region extends approximately 340 nautical miles to the east.

Washington also wants to seize parts of the seabed north of the Mariana Islands in the Pacific Ocean, as well as off the western coast of California.

In the Atlantic Ocean, the United States claims a large area of ​​seafloor beyond its 200-mile line, as well as two sections of the Gulf of Mexico along the borders with Mexico and Cuba.