The UK government has committed to banning imports of diesel and jet fuel made from Russian oil by 1 January 2027, the latest move in its package of sanctions on Moscow over the war with Ukraine. Trade Minister Chris Bryant said the end date was "a clear signal that we continue to ratchet up maximum pressure on Russia."
The announcement follows a temporary licence introduced in May, when the government said it would gradually phase out the use of such fuels refined in third countries from Russian crude, citing the need for extra flexibility due to global oil supply issues. That decision drew criticism from the EU, which warned it was "not the time to roll back sanctions" against Moscow.
“UK will ban Russian diesel and jet fuel imports by January 2027 as part of sanctions on Moscow.”
The temporary licence will be reviewed every two weeks, the government said, meaning it could be revoked sooner than the 2027 deadline. "I made a commitment to the House of Commons that we would review the temporary general licence for diesel and jet fuel on a fortnightly basis and lift it as soon as practicable," Bryant said. "Today we're confirming that the government will include an end date of 1st January 2027 in the licence at the latest and that we will continue to keep the licence under continuous review."
The move comes against a backdrop of rising global oil prices, pushed up by the US and Israel conflict with Iran. The effective halt of trade through the Strait of Hormuz has reduced global oil supplies. Before the conflict, the global oil benchmark Brent crude was trading around $70 a barrel, but is currently trading around $87 as a deal to end the conflict appears close.
Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office Minister Stephen Doughty said: "These new measures that strengthen our sanctions will stop refined oil made from Russian crude from entering the UK through third countries. We are maximising pressure on Russia while maintaining stability at home, and we will continue to use every lever available to debilitate Putin's war machine and support Ukraine."
But the decision drew sharp rebuke from Sir Bill Browder, a longstanding critic of Russian President Vladimir Putin. Speaking to the BBC, he said: "It's absurd. On one hand we are giving Ukraine billions to fight off Russia. On the other we're giving Russia billions for their diesel and jet fuel to buy weapons to attack Ukraine. For anyone to not see the connection and absurdity, they must be willingly blind."