Britain will not follow the United States in loosening sanctions on Russian oil, Energy Minister Michael Shanks said, as Washington granted a temporary exemption for Russian petroleum already loaded on vessels at sea.
"The UK Government will not be loosing sanctions on Russia at all," Shanks told BBC's Today programme. The minister stopped short of criticising Washington's decision, but made clear it was not one London would replicate.
His statement centred on the risk of giving Moscow room to fund its war in Ukraine. "We absolutely cannot allow Putin to be sitting in the Kremlin and viewing this as an opportunity to invest in his war machine," Shanks said, according to BBC.
The minister also suggested the Kremlin was treating the energy disruption caused by the Middle East conflict as an economic lifeline. "I suspect in the Kremlin they are viewing this as an opportunity to fix some of their troubled economy," he added, as reported by European Pravda.
The US exemption, active until 11 April, was introduced as Middle East hostilities pushed global oil prices sharply higher. Washington allowed India to resume purchases of Russian oil for one month and announced a partial release of its strategic petroleum reserves to stabilise markets. Prices subsequently fell back below $100 per barrel after G7 members signalled they were considering releasing strategic reserves.
Britain's position draws a clear line between the two allies on how to handle the energy price shock, with London treating sanctions relief as incompatible with its continued support for Ukraine.
