The UK government has announced a relaxation of sanctions on imports of Russian jet fuel and diesel refined in third countries, amid soaring fuel prices driven by the Iran war and the prolonged closure of the Strait of Hormuz.
The trade license, effective from Wednesday, has an "indefinite duration," according to the UK's Department for Business and Trade, and will be reviewed periodically. It allows the UK to import Russian crude oil refined in third countries, such as India and Turkey.
The UK government also issued a temporary license easing sanctions on liquefied natural gas originating from certain Russian plants.
The UK and other Western nations imposed strict anti-Russia sanctions following the 2022 invasion of Ukraine, targeting oil exports as well as over 3,000 individuals and companies.
The new decision comes after the United States granted sanctions waivers for Russian oil cargoes already at sea, extended for a second time on Monday as the war against Iran tightened global oil supplies.
The European Union criticized the U.S. extension of the waiver on Tuesday at a meeting of G7 finance ministers attended by the UK. EU Economics Commissioner Valdis Dombrovskis argued it was not the time to "reduce pressure on Russia."
UK Finance Minister Dan Tomlinson said the changes were "for a limited time and on a very specific matter."
The UK has been one of Ukraine's strongest allies since Russia's 2022 invasion, and the government stressed its sanctions on Russia remain among the toughest in the world.
Opposition Conservative Party leader Kemi Badenoch condemned the move. "After 18 months of 'standing up to Putin,' the Labour government has quietly granted a license allowing imports of Russian oil refined in third countries," she wrote on X.
Finance ministers from the U.S., UK, and other G7 nations issued a joint statement on Tuesday reaffirming "our unwavering commitment to continue imposing severe costs on Russia in response to its continued aggression against Ukraine."
