Sir Keir Starmer has promised to keep “tightening the screws” on Vladimir Putin as he announced a raft of fresh sanctions on dozens of new Russian finance, military and energy targets.
The prime minister is piling fresh pressure on the Russian war machine and seeking to win further backing from G7 leaders at a key summit in Canada.
After repeated refusals from Putin to engage in peace talks, and fresh Russian strikes on Kyiv on Tuesday, the PM said his sanctions will “choke off his ability to continue his barbaric war” in Ukraine.
Two UK residents who have funnelled more than $120m of electronics to Russia through a network of companies were also among those targeted as the government vowed to “starve Putin’s war machine”.
“We know that our sanctions are hitting hard, so while Putin shows total disregard for peace, we will not hesitate to keep tightening the screws,” Sir Keir added.
But the sanctions come after splits emerged at the G7 summit, with Donald Trump the only leader showing reluctance to hit Moscow with fresh measures. The US president said imposing sanctions is “not easy” and that he wanted to “see whether or not a deal is done” over the Ukraine war before targeting the Kremlin with further pressure.
Later Sir Keir told journalists that Ukraine was top of the agenda at the G7 on tuesday with President Trump having left early the night before.
He said: "Obviously today we're going to focus on Ukraine. We've got President Zelenskyy coming in. We're putting in extra sanctions today, including sanctions on the shadow fleet. Others will be doing, similar actions in coming days. And so that does ramp up the pressure."
He insisted that the position on Ukraine “has not changed” wirth no lessening of the support of the allies still present at the G7.
He also claimed his coalition of the willing plan is still on the table.
"On the coalition of the willing, that is obviously intended to answer the question, how do you ensure that if a deal is reached, a deal is kept so it's a lasting deal? Because the concern, has always been, that there have been deals, if you like, before, Putin has then subsequently breached them. So how do you stop that happening again? And the military planning is still going on, as you would expect, so that, when the time comes, we're ready to act. ”
The UK’s sanctions are aimed at Russia’s finance, military and energy sectors, including Russia’s shadow fleet of oil tankers, which is illicitly transporting oil to skirt Western restrictions, with 20 additional ships targeted.
The UK is also cracking down on those enabling Putin’s illegal oil exports, sanctioning the energy firms Orion Star Group LLC and Valegro LLC-FZ for their role in crewing and managing shadow fleet vessels. Shadow fleet vessels use of flags of convenience and complex ownership structures to hide the origins of their cargo in a bit to evade Western sanctions.
Officials stressed that Putin’s disdain for peace talks and refusal to make serious progress on a ceasefire deal had “redoubled” the UK’s resolve in seeking to disrupt Russia’s economy.
The sanctions also hit the military agency responsible for Russia’s underwater intelligence gathering operations, GUGI, amid mounting fears of Russian attacks on subsea infrastructure.
The package also hit two UK residents, Vladimir Pristoupa and Olech Tkacz, who the government accused of operating a “shadowy network of shell companies”.
The pair have allegedly funnelled more than $120m of electronics to Russia which are feared to have been used for military purposes.
“These sanctions strike right at the heart of Putin’s war machine,” Sir Keir said.
He added: “The threat posed by Russia cannot be underestimated, so I’m determined to take every step necessary to protect our national security and keep our country safe and secure.”
David Lammy vowed Britain will “systematically dismantle his dangerous shadow fleet, starve his war machine, and support Ukraine to defend itself”.
The foreign secretary added: “The UK and our allies will not sit idly by whilst Putin’s cowardly inaction continues to cost lives.”
Britain also said it will work with allies to further tighten the price cap on Russian oil, currently at $60 per barrel, which has been made almost redundant by a fall in global oil prices. The US has resisted pressure from the UK, EU and G7 partners to drop the cap to $45 per barrel.
But Downing Street on Tuesday said Britain would tighten the cap “while ensuring the stability of the energy market”.
“We are determined to hit Putin where it hurts by striking at his oil revenues – the single most important source of funding for his barbaric war,” the government said.
Asked whether Washington supported European efforts to impose further measures, Mr Trump told reporters ahead of a bilateral meeting with the UK Prime Minister, he said: “Well Europe is saying that, but they haven’t done it yet.
“Let’s see them do it first.”
Asked why he wanted to wait to impose sanctions, the president said: “Because I’m waiting to see whether or not a deal is done… and don’t forget, you know, sanctions cost us a lot of money.
“When I sanction a country that costs the US a lot of money, a tremendous amount of money.
“It’s not just, let’s sign a document. You’re talking about billions and billions of dollars. Sanctions are not that easy. It’s not just a one-way street.”
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