UK hits Russia with fresh wave of sanctions as Kremlin accuses Europe of 'clumsy' bid to 'manipulate' Trump
The UK Government has hit eight new Russian individuals and organisations with sanctions, targeting crypto networks exploited by the Kremlin.
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It comes just days after the UK joined Ukraine and other European nations for peace talks in Washington, as pressure mounts on Vladimir Putin to end his invasion.
The sanctions largely target financial organisations based in Kyrgyzstan and “crypto networks exploited by Russia”, the UK Foreign Office said.
The networks allowed Russia to "evade sanctions imposed by the UK and its allies", the Foreign Office added.
The individuals and companies hit by sanctions today are:
- Kantemir Kaparbekovich Chalbayev
- Zhanyshbek Uulu Nazarbek
- Leonid Shumakov
- Altair Holding SA
- CJSC Tengricoin
- Grinex LLC
- The Capital Bank of Central Asia
- Old Vector LLC
Sanctions Minister, Stephen Doughty, said: “If the Kremlin thinks they can hide their desperate attempts to soften the blow of our sanctions by laundering transactions through dodgy crypto networks – they are sorely mistaken.
“These sanctions keep up the pressure on Putin at a critical time and crack down on the illicit networks being used to funnel money into his war chest.
“Alongside our allies, we will continue to support the US-led drive to end this illegal war and secure a just and lasting peace.”
A Foreign Office spokesperson added: "With sanctions continuing to bite, Russia has turned to the Kyrgyz financial sector to channel money through opaque financial networks, including through the use of cryptocurrencies.
"These networks have created a convoluted scheme to evade sanctions imposed by the UK and its partners.”
Following today’s announcement, Russia hit the UK with sanctions of its own, targeting 21 British and Western individuals.
It comes just days after Sir Keir Starmer joined Volodymyr Zelenskyy, Donald Trump and other European leaders in Washington DC for crunch peace talks.
The summit ended with the hope a meeting could be organised between Mr Zelenskyy and Vladimir Putin - the first since Russia launched its invasion of Ukraine in 2022.
Mr Trump also suggested the United States would provide Ukraine with security guarantees to ensure peace, but the President ruled out US troops being placed on the ground.
Europe’s attempts to sway Mr Trump away from Putin have been branded “clumsy manipulation” by the Kremlin.
Russia’s foreign minister Sergei Lavrov slammed European attempts to ensure a ceasefire is agreed.
Mr Lavrov added that, despite European pressure, Mr Trump has an “increasingly clear understanding of the root causes” of the war in Ukraine.
Mr Trump said in a phone call to Fox News on Tuesday that the United States could be willing to help Ukraine "by air" but ruled out putting American soldiers on the ground.
He added that Ukraine was "not going to be a part of Nato" but European troops would deter any future Russian invasion.
Mr Trump said: "(Ukraine) are not going to be a part of Nato but we’ve got the European nations, so they’ll front-load it and they’ll have – some of them, France and Germany, a couple of them, the UK – they are going to have boots on the ground.
"I don’t think it’s going to be a problem, to be honest. I think Putin is tired of it, I think they are all tired of it, but you never know.
"We are going to find out about President Putin in the next couple of weeks, that I can tell you."