[CTC] US accused of threatening EU diplomats during bid to kill green shipping rules

[Arthur Stamoulis]

*US accused of threatening EU diplomats during bid to kill green shipping
rules*By Karl Mathiesen, Gabriel Gavin, Louise Guillot, Nahal Toosi and Ben
Lefebvre

Politico Pro

11/3/25



European negotiators were personally targeted by their American
counterparts during a brutal negotiation over green shipping rules,
European Commission officials told POLITICO — a highly unusual gambit that
left diplomats shaken after the meeting.



The threats were made last month, as the U.S. maneuvered to block a new
effort to tax pollution
<https://subscriber.politicopro.com/article/2025/10/trump-sinks-global-shipping-climate-tax-00613617>
at
a meeting of the International Maritime Organization in London.



Eight envoys, officials and civil society observers from Europe, granted
anonymity to describe the fractious closed-door discussions and protect
their relationships with those involved, confirmed national delegates had
reported they had been threatened with personal consequences if they went
against Washington.



“Our negotiators had never seen this before in any international talks,”
said one European official, who had spoken to negotiators. “People being
summoned to the U.S. Embassy in London — intimidation, threats of cessation
of business, threats of family members losing visas.”



Another European Commission official added that diplomats returned home
rattled after the meetings: “We had feedback from a number of people
involved in the negotiations about the pressure they faced.”



Since Donald Trump’s return to office, the administration has sought to
undermine global climate policy and promote U.S. fossil fuel interests. The
president has called efforts to combat global warming a “con job.” He was
particularly enraged about the maritime emissions effort, saying it would
hit American shippers with unwarranted taxes.



The International Maritime Organization is a U.N. agency that regulates the
world’s shipping industry; measures taken there are enforced by its 176
member states — almost every nation on Earth with a coastline. The EU is
not a member, but the European Commission and the vast majority of EU
countries had been an early supporter of the carbon tax measure.



The U.S. strategy was laid out publicly ahead of the meeting, with a press
release
<https://www.state.gov/releases/office-of-the-spokesperson/2025/10/taking-action-to-defend-america-from-the-uns-first-global-carbon-tax-the-international-maritime-organizations-imo-net-zero-framework-nzf>
signed
by the U.S. secretaries of state, transportation and energy.

On top of threats of tariffs, port fees and visa restrictions on crews, the
U.S. said it would also look at “sanctions on officials sponsoring
activist-driven climate policies.”



Only two EU members broke from the bloc: major maritime countries Cyprus
and Greece, with the latter claiming its choice had nothing to do with U.S.
pressure.



“We had made up our minds way before the U.S. became involved in this and
we had actually voiced our concerns,” Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos
Mitsotakis, whose country has one of the world’s largest maritime
industries, told POLITICO in an interview after Athens switched its vote
and backed a postponement. “I want to be very clear … I did not speak to
President Trump about this.”



*The new normal*

The deployment of personal threats in an international negotiation
represents another departure by the Trump administration from diplomatic
norms and signals further tension in relations between the U.S. and EU.



The threats were not limited to European delegations, according to
officials and attendees briefed on the events in London.



“I’m directly aware of threats being made to EU countries, island states,”
said one observer from a civil society group, who was briefed on the matter
by a delegation.



Delegates exposed to the intimidation campaign were unwilling to speak on
the record for fear the U.S. would make good on its ultimatums. The
Financial Times first reported
<https://www.ft.com/content/4e0a9a30-b014-4745-afe5-c841e36b41da> the
personal threats to delegates.



In a close vote, the summit chose to delay the emissions tax for a year — a
feat viewed by many as a near-death blow to the measure and a major victory
for Trump. Dozens of countries from Africa, the Middle East, Latin America
and Asia agreed to the delay.



Other officials who spoke to the delegates said they were astonished at how
strongly the Americans were prepared to pressure delegations.



U.S. Energy Secretary Chris Wright said he and Agriculture Secretary Brooke
Rollins had personally called more than 20 countries to pressure them. A
senior Western diplomat confirmed the U.S. threatened Caribbean countries
with tariffs if they did not agree to postpone the shipping emissions
decision.



During the week-long IMO meeting, the “process was ongoing,” said the
observer. In at least one case U.S delegates approached another delegation
on the floor of the plenary and issued a similar set of ultimatums. “There
was quite a bit of upset among the delegates.”



At a coffee break during the meeting, Vanuatu Climate Minister Ralph
Regenvanu told POLITICO that other island nations had been subjected to
“relentless pressure” from the U.S.. “There’s bullshit going on,” he said.



Although tough tactics are nothing new in international talks, the
bare-knuckle approach of the U.S. in London was seen as extraordinary.



“U.S. pressure created an atmosphere of fear, which in turn created chaos
that ultimately led to the adoption to be delayed,” said Christiaan De
Beukelaer, a senior lecturer in climate and maritime transport policies at
the University of Melbourne, who was present at the talks in an observer
capacity.



“Once you go around threatening countries, you undermine the design and
functioning of multilateralism as it emerged since the Second World War,”
he added.



A U.S. State Department spokesperson declined to comment on what they
called “private diplomatic conversations.” But in an op-ed in the Wall
Street Journal
<https://www.wsj.com/opinion/marco-rubio-how-we-thwarted-the-un-tax-global-carbon-45f78623>
Secretary
of State Marco Rubio defended the effort against the carbon price.



“Our coalition-building efforts paid off, proving that real diplomacy based
on national interest — ours and theirs — can thwart unaccountable
bureaucratic schemes. Should this initiative or any other similar one
emerge from the U.N. bureaucracy again, our coalition against it will be
ready—and larger,” said Rubio.



*Karl Mathiesen reported from London. Gabriel Gavin and Louise Guillot
reported from Brussels. Nahal Toosi and Ben Lefebvre contributed reporting
from Washington. Martina Sapio contributed reporting from Brussels.*
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