Sir Keir Starmer will seek to step up pressure on Russia with a package of new sanctions as he attends the G7 summit in France. The Prime Minister is also expected to hold bilateral meetings with India's Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky on Tuesday.
The measures, to be announced as the Prime Minister discusses Ukraine with G7 counterparts at the summit in Evian-les-Bains, will target Russia's shadow fleet and the finance networks the country uses to circumvent western sanctions. They will also sanction several vessels identified as moving banned Russian liquefied natural gas. This will bring the number of sanctioned shadow fleet and Russian LNG vessels to more than 600.
The sanctions are also expected to target a network involved in covertly procuring western technology for Russia's military, and third country suppliers helping Moscow move money internationally. British troops seized a Russian shadow fleet vessel in the Channel for the first time at the weekend. The captain of the Smyrtos tanker, Ajay Pant, 38, has been charged with contravening sanctions by the Crown Prosecution Service and will appear in court on Tuesday.
Sir Keir said: "Russia's aggression threatens not just Ukraine, but the security of all Europe. That is why the UK is stepping up – choking off the revenues that fuel Putin's war and powering Ukraine through the winters ahead. We will stand with Ukraine for as long as it takes and this announcement reinforces that. Putin should roll back his tanks, end his barbaric strikes, and come to the negotiating table."
Sir Keir is facing his counterparts on the international stage to talk about global threats as pressure is piling on him over long-term funding for the military at home. There is also potential for friction with US President Donald Trump, after Sir Keir announced a social media ban for under 16s and recent interventions in UK affairs by key figures in the Trump administration over the murder of student Henry Nowak.
The US President has said his peace deal with Iran means "oil will flow" freely once again through the Strait of Hormuz, the vital shipping route out of the Persian Gulf. He told the G7 on Monday the Strait would be fully opened on Friday when the deal is signed in Switzerland.
