The UK has secretly eased sanctions on Russian oil in order to import crude from the country currently embroiled in war with Ukraine.
The move comes as the world faces the consequences of the US-Israel war against Iran in the form of a severe fuel crisis.
Iran closed the Strait of Hormuz, a key oil trade route, in retaliation for the US-Israeli attacks. Countries around the world are facing fuel shortages as energy prices skyrocket in the middle of the supply chain.
Even Britain, a Ukrainian ally and staunch critic of Russia’s military campaign, quietly eased sanctions on Russian crude to meet market demands.
Critics have accused British Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer of failing Ukraine and giving a big boost to the Russian economy amid the ongoing conflict.
Under the relaxed sanctions, Britain will now allow imports of Russian jet fuel and diesel refined in third countries.
Government officials have defended the measures as “protecting Britain’s national interests”, while critics claim the development puts a “question mark” on UK-Ukraine friendship.
Ukrainian MP Oleksiy Goncharenko said: “I’m deeply disappointed. I can’t understand it. I think it’s a wrong decision.”
In the past, the US has also eased sanctions on Russian oil imports, allowing limited purchases of Russian crude amid a global fuel shortage linked to escalating tensions involving Iran.
