- Sir Keir Starmer 's government has relaxed sanctions on Russian crude oil, allowing the import of jet fuel and diesel refined in third countries, a move critics fear will boost Vladimir Putin.
- The decision, which reverses a previous stance to block such imports, is defended by ministers as necessary to protect the UK national interest amidst surging fuel prices caused by the Iran war and the ongoing Middle East crisis.
- Senior Labour MP Dame Emily Thornberry stated that Ukraine has been 'very let down' by the decision, while Ukrainian MP Oleksiy Goncharenko warned it puts a 'question mark' over the UK's friendship with Ukraine.
- Tory leader Kemi Badenoch described the move as 'insane,' highlighting the contradiction with Labour MPs voting against UK oil and gas licences while now importing Russian-refined oil.
- The new trade licence permits these imports indefinitely, with periodic reviews, as petrol prices in the UK have recently eclipsed previous highs set during the Iran oil crisis.
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