Starmer vows Ukraine allies will take Russian oil and gas off market after Trump sanctions
After leaders met with Volodymyr Zelensky in London, Sir Keir Starmer said allied countries had pledged to take action to remove Russian oil and gas from the global market.
The prime minister called on other countries to follow the US and impose sanctions, and said allies had agreed on a “clear plan for the rest of the year” to support Kiev.
Other commitments made included plans to “sustain progress” on Russian assets and “maintain military pressure on Putin” as the conflict approaches its fourth winter. Britain also said it would “accelerate” its missile production program to supply Ukraine with more weapons.
This comes just days after the White House imposed new sanctions on Russian oil in a bid to pressure Moscow.
Speaking in London after an enthusiastic meeting with Mr Zelensky, Sir Keir said: “We will take action to remove Russian oil and gas from the global market.
“Last week, Britain became the first country to impose sanctions on all of Russia’s major oil companies. On Wednesday, the US moved decisively to join us with additional EU sanctions and we are cutting funding to Russia’s war machine.
“I urge others to take these steps, to go further to reduce their dependency and to encourage third countries to stop purchasing these dirty resources.”
The British and Ukrainian leaders were joined by NATO secretary general Mark Rutte, Dutch prime minister Dick Schoof and Danish prime minister Mette Frederiksen for a press conference at the Foreign Office in Westminster following the coalition of voluntary negotiations.
Mr. Rutte, the head of the NATO alliance, described Vladimir Putin’s refusal to participate in ceasefire talks as “deceptive aggression” and said “the truth is that Putin is running out of money, military might and ideas.”
The leaders in London were joined by others who attended virtually. Mr. Zelensky said the group discussed “strengthening our air defense” at the meeting.
In a post on social media Friday afternoon, the Ukrainian leader said he was “grateful for the common position on the need to further increase pressure on Russia and continue to work with the United States on developing clear and reliable security guarantees for Ukraine.”
Sir Keir also said Britain was “stepping up” its effort to supply Kiev with “more than 5,000 light multi-purpose missiles”.
He told the press conference that the project “creates 200 jobs and supports 700 existing roles at Thales in Belfast”.
This comes amid a diplomatic push by the US to provide Tomahawk missiles. Mr Rutte said the matter was under “investigation”.
Earlier on Friday, Mr Zelensky was ceremonially welcomed to Windsor Castle for his meeting with the King.
There was a royal salute as the Ukrainian leader shook hands in the royal courtyard of the castle; this was the first ceremonial welcome he had received in the United Kingdom.
Mr. Zelensky inspected the 1st Battalion of the Grenadier Guard and was then taken inside the castle to meet the King.
The Ukrainian president later said at the press conference that Russia “wants to disintegrate Ukraine and is doing everything to achieve this.”
As Mr. Zelensky continues to press for more military support from Europe, Russia’s Defense Ministry said on Friday that its forces had taken control of three more villages in eastern Ukraine.
According to the ministry, Russian troops captured Bolohivka in the Kharkiv region, Promin in the Donetsk region and Zlagoda in the Dnipropetrovsk region.
Previously, the ministry announced that its forces also captured the Dronivka settlement in the Donetsk region.
The reported gains come after Donald Trump increased pressure on Vladimir Putin with new sanctions on Russian oil.
While the United States this week imposed sanctions on Russia’s largest oil companies, Lukoil and Rosneft, EU countries approved the 19th sanctions package against Moscow, which includes a ban on imports of liquefied natural gas from Russia.
