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.
“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.
The sanctions are aimed at Russia’s finance, military and energy sectors, including Russia’s shadow fleet of oil tankers, 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.
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.”
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