The United Kingdom will announce a fresh set of sanctions against Russia on Monday 24 February, aimed at reducing revenues for Moscow three years after it invaded Ukraine.
The new measures will be the “largest package” against Russia since the Russian full-scale invasion, according to UK Foreign Secretary David Lammy.
Western nations and their allies have imposed several rounds of sanctions against Russia, including on its oil industry, as they sought to curtail the flow of petrodollars into the Kremlin’s coffers and, with it, funding for its war against Ukraine.
New restrictions planned by the UK contrast with the United States, which has raised the possibility of lifting the raft of sanctions it’s aimed at Russia. Top officials from the US and Russia met for a first round of talks last week over the war in Ukraine and raised the possibility of broader cooperation.
The US engagement with Russia provoked alarm among European nations and Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, who wasn’t invited to take part in the meeting.
UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer spoke on Saturday 23 February with Zelenskyy to reiterate Britain’s support. Starmer repeated that Kyiv must be at the heart of any negotiations to end the war and that safeguarding Ukraine’s sovereignty was essential to prevent future aggression from Russia.
Starmer intends to hold “these important discussions” with President Donald Trump during his visit to Washington in the next few days.
Related:
- British Typhoon jets may guard Ukraine airspace to counter Russian military threats
- UK Defense Secretary Healey: decisions on Ukraine to shape global security for generations
- British MPs call for debate on Ukraine peacekeeping force
- Ukraine still on “irreversible path” to NATO despite Trump’s stance, UK’s Starmer tells Zelenskyy
- British, Danish defense chiefs challenge US stance on Ukraine’s NATO membership
