Zelenskyy welcomes UK’s sweeping sanctions on Russia’s shadow fleet

ISTANBUL

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy on Friday welcomed the UK's new sanctions package on a fleet of Russian oil tankers, calling it a crucial move to limit Moscow’s war financing.

“I am grateful to the United Kingdom and Prime Minister Keir Starmer for the powerful new sanctions package against Russia’s ‘shadow fleet’ – targeting the Russian army’s money-making machine,” Zelenskyy said on X. “Every step that limits the Kremlin’s ability to fund its war brings peace closer.”

Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha echoed the sentiment after meeting with British Foreign Secretary David Lammy in Lviv.

“More pressure and sanctions on Russia are key to raising the cost of war for the aggressor,” he said, noting that they also discussed battlefield developments and diplomatic efforts for a just peace.

The UK plans to sanction up to 100 oil tankers involved in transporting Russian crude, accusing them of helping bankroll the Kremlin’s war.

The vessels will be banned from British ports and subject to detention if found in UK waters.

Prime Minister Starmer is expected to formally announce the measures at the Joint Expeditionary Force summit in Oslo, where European leaders are set to unveil further support for Ukraine.

The British government described the targeted vessels as “decrepit and dangerous,” linking them to unsafe operations and recent damage to critical undersea infrastructure in the Baltic Sea.