Norway made clear that it will continue supplying fuel for U.S. Navy ships after a private marine fuel supplier threatened to boycott the U.S. in response to deteriorating U.S.-Ukraine relations.
“We have seen reports raising concerns about support for U.S. Navy vessels in Norway. This is not in line with the Norwegian government’s policy,” Norway’s Defense Minister Tore Sandvik said in a statement Sunday, according to a report from Reuters.
The statement comes after privately held Norwegian fuel supplier Haltbakk Bunkers took to social media Friday and threatened a boycott of the U.S. Navy in response to President Donald Trump and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy’s heated Oval Office exchange.
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The U.S. Navy’s forward-deployed aircraft carrier USS Ronald Reagan is seen during a replenishment-at-sea with the Military Sealift Command’s fleet replenishment oiler USNS John Ericsson in waters around Okinawa southwest of the Korean peninsula, October 9, 2017. (U.S. Navy/Mass Communication Specialist 2nd Class Kenneth Abbate/via Reuters)
“Huge credit to the president of Ukraine restraining himself and for keeping calm even though USA put on a backstabbing TV show. It made us sick… No Fuel to Americans!,” the company said in a Facebook post that has since been deleted.
The company’s CEO, Gunnar Gran, confirmed to the Norwegian newspaper VG that he had decided not to supply the U.S. military, according to the Reuters report, though the company also acknowledged that the move would only have a “symbolic” impact, since Haltbakk Bunkers does not have a fixed contract with the U.S. government.
The company’s threat comes after a heated exchange in the Oval Office among Trump, Zelenskyy and Vice President JD Vance on Friday, when Vance accused the Ukrainian leader of being “disrespectful” to Trump in the White House.
“Mr. President, with respect, I think it’s…
