At the time of writing, the Russian cargo ship Baltic Leader remains docked in Boulogne-sur-Mer. France’s navy detained the ship in the early hours of Saturday morning and escorted her to the country’s northern port in application of fresh international sanctions issued by the US. There may be a subliminal message in the French authorities’ decision to moor the Baltic Leader at a location called Europe Quay. The US Treasury listed the ship among “blocked properties” to be impounded because it belongs to the Promsvyazbank group, a financial institution Washington accuses the Russian government of having “nationalised PSB in 2018…

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