EU economy chief criticizes UK for surprise rollback of Russia sanctions on jet fuel and diesel
The EU’s economy commissioner criticized the UK on Thursday for issuing a sanctions licence exempting jet fuel and diesel from a new import ban on oil products made from Russian crude, without prior notice to G7 allies. Valdis Dombrovskis said the move “came as a surprise” and that now is “not the time to roll back sanctions against Russia.” UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer defended the decision as a short-term measure to protect consumers, while Trade Minister Chris Bryant apologized for communication failures.
EU Economy Commissioner Valdis Dombrovskis criticized the UK on Thursday for issuing a sanctions licence that exempts jet fuel and diesel from a new import ban on oil products made from Russian crude but refined in India or other third countries, saying the move “came as a surprise” and was not flagged to G7 allies.
Dombrovskis, speaking at a press conference in Brussels, noted that UK Chancellor Rachel Reeves attended the G7 finance ministers meeting in Paris on Monday and Tuesday but did not raise the planned exemption. “It was not flagged during our G7 finance ministerial meeting earlier this week, so came as a surprise,” Dombrovskis said. “What we were discussing in G7 [is] actually that now is not the time to roll back sanctions against Russia because Russia is actually the country that is benefiting from the war in Iran and having substantial windfall profits due to the higher energy prices.” He added: “It is important to sustain and, if anything, strengthen sanctions against Russia in [the] current situation and that’s the point we’ll continue to insist on with our international partners including the U.K.”
The UK issued the sanctions licence on Tuesday. According to figures from the Centre for Research on Energy and Clean Air, jet fuel and diesel represent 99 percent of UK imports from refineries processing Russian crude, meaning their exemption effectively neuters the new sanction policy, which was announced in October last year. The EU implemented a similar ban in January.
UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer defended the move on Wednesday, telling MPs the UK had issued “two targeted short-term licenses to phase the new sanctions in and protect U.K. consumers.” Trade Minister Chris Bryant told MPs on Wednesday the move was “partly” prompted by the need to protect British businesses from “instability” in energy markets sparked by the Middle East conflict.
A UK official, granted anonymity as they were not authorized to speak on the record, claimed the government had failed to warn its Ukrainian counterparts. Starmer spoke to President Volodymyr Zelenskyy on Wednesday night and insisted the UK was “ramping up measures to crack down on Russia’s economy,” according to a Downing Street readout of the call. Zelenskyy said on Wednesday the issue of sanctions was “very sensitive” and that Ukraine had “conveyed our signals on the matter to London.”
Bryant apologized on Wednesday for communication failures but said the exemptions would be “temporary” and the government would “suspend them as soon as we possibly can.” A spokesperson for Starmer said on Thursday the UK had worked “closely with international partners including the EU to finalize details” of the sanctions package. Asked whether the specific exemptions had been discussed, the spokesperson said the EU had been consulted on “the overall package.”