Britain 'to tighten sanctions on Russian energy' as Europe takes aim at Putin's war machine
The ban will be implemented over the course of 2026 alongside other European countries.
The UK will seek to tighten restrictions on Russian gas exports over the next year to increase the pressure on Moscow to end its war in Ukraine.
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Russian liquified natural gas (LNG) will be banned and unaccessible to UK maritime services, such as insurance and shipping.
The move will prevent British services being used to export Russian LNG to third countries, with imports to the UK itself having been banned since 2023.
The ban will be implemented over the course of 2026 alongside other European countries.
Foreign Secretary Yvette Cooper announced the decision as she prepared to head to the G7 foreign ministers meeting in Niagara, Canada, on Wednesday.
She also announced that the UK would provide another £13 million in aid for Ukraine to help repair its energy infrastructure and support those most affected by a loss of power as winter begins to take hold.
Russia has repeatedly attacked Ukraine’s energy infrastructure throughout the war and the Foreign Office said Moscow was now “escalating brutal attacks on power and heating networks, as Putin tries to grind the Ukrainian people down”.
Read more: Trump spares Hungary from Russian oil and gas sanctions
Ms Cooper said: “Putin is trying to plunge Ukraine into darkness and the cold as winter approaches.
“These cowardly strikes are not only an attack on Ukraine’s security, but a threat to the UK’s economic security, stability and growth.”
The Foreign Secretary is expected to use the G7 meeting to push for more support for Ukraine as the war enters its fourth winter.
Ukraine’s allies will hope that further economic sanctions, such as the ban on maritime services for Russian LNG, will help force Moscow to the negotiating table.
The ban is the latest in a range of measures targeting Russia’s fossil fuel exports, a major source of revenue for its war effort.
Last month, the UK sanctioned Russia’s two largest oil companies, Rosneft and Lukoil, and it has encouraged allies to cease buying Russian oil.
But Russian president Vladimir Putin has so far resisted efforts to reach a negotiated peace in Ukraine.
A meeting between Ms Cooper and her US counterpart, Marco Rubio, expected at the summit on Wednesday could prove awkward, following reports that the UK has halted sharing intelligence on suspected drug trafficking boats in the Caribbean with the US amid concerns American lethal strikes against the vessels violate international law.