The UK has secretly eased sanctions on Russian oil to import crude from the country currently engaged in a war with Ukraine.
The move comes as the world faces the aftermath of the US-Israeli war on Iran in the form of a serious fuel crisis.
Iran closed the Strait of Hormuz, a key trade route for oil, in retaliation for US-Israeli strikes. Countries around the world are facing fuel shortages as energy prices soar amid supply chain disruption.
Even the United Kingdom, Ukraine’s ally and a staunch critic of Russia’s military campaign, has quietly eased sanctions on Russian crude oil to meet market demands.
Critics have accused British Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer of failing Ukraine and giving a major boost to the Russian economy amid ongoing conflict.
As part of the easing of sanctions, the UK will now allow imports of Russian jet fuel and refined diesel into third countries.
Government officials have defended the measures as “protecting the UK’s national interest”, while critics argue the development puts “a question mark” over the friendship between the UK and Ukraine.
Ukrainian MP Oleksiy Goncharenko said: “I am deeply disappointed. I don’t understand. I think it’s a bad decision.”
Previously, the United States also eased sanctions on Russian oil imports, allowing limited purchases of Russian crude amid a global fuel shortage linked to escalating tensions involving Iran.
