Watch live as foreign secretary David Lammy is expected to announce new sanctions against Russia on the third anniversary of Vladimir Putin’s invasion of Ukraine on Monday, 24 February. In a statement, the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office said a “milestone package” of 107 new sanctions will be implemented to “target funds going into Putin’s war chest and propping up Russia’s kleptocratic system.”.
Targets of the sanctions include producers and suppliers of machine tools, electronics and dual-use goods for Russia’s military that are based in a range of third countries including Central Asian states, Turkey, Thailand, India and China. Other targets include North Korean Defence Minister No Kwang Chol and other North Korean generals and senior officials the government says are complicit in deploying over 11,000 DPRK forces to Russia.
“For the first time, we are also using new powers to target foreign financial institutions supporting Russia’s war machine. We are sanctioning the Kyrgyzstan-based OJSC Keremet Bank, disrupting Russia’s use of the international financial system to support its war efforts,” the statement added.
Thirteen Russian targets, such as LLC Grant-Trade, its owner Marat Mustafaev and his sister Dinara Mustafaeva, have been included. The government says they have used the company to funnel advanced European technology into Russia to support its illegal war.
The sanctions come ahead of a meeting between Sir Keir Starmer and Donald Trump in Washington next week, with the US president accusing Britain and France of having “done nothing” to end the war in Ukraine. On Sunday Sir Keir spoke to French president Emmanuel Macron to mark the anniversary, with the pair promising to “work together to put Ukraine in the strongest possible position at this crucial moment for global security”.
Mr Trump has also been condemned for claiming that Kyiv started the war and describing Mr Zelensky as a “dictator”. He has also sidelined Ukraine from negotiations on ending the conflict with Russia, defying European calls for Mr Zelensky to have a role in peace talks.
