The UK has eased part of its sanctions regime on Russian oil, allowing diesel and jet fuel made from Russian crude in other countries to be sold into Britain as ministers respond to mounting concern over fuel supply.
According to reporting from Sky News and the BBC, the change takes effect on Wednesday through a trade licence that permits these imports indefinitely, subject to periodic review by the business secretary. The move is aimed at reducing pressure on the market as ten...
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sions in the Middle East, including disruption linked to the Strait of Hormuz, raise fears of tighter fuel supplies and higher prices.
The decision marks a notable shift from the approach taken last October, when the government moved to block oil products refined abroad from Russian-origin crude in an effort to increase economic pressure on Moscow over its war in Ukraine. At the time, Chancellor Rachel Reeves argued that preventing Russian oil from reaching UK markets was the right course and said ministers would take whatever steps were needed to weaken the Kremlin’s capacity to sustain the conflict.
The latest licence does not amount to a wholesale relaxation of sanctions. Other products made from Russian crude, including petrochemicals and heating oil, remain prohibited. AP reported that Prime Minister Keir Starmer has framed the change as a targeted and phased response rather than an abandonment of the wider sanctions policy.
The government’s move also puts Britain closer to the direction already taken by other Western powers. In January, the European Union adopted its own ban on oil products refined in third countries from Russian-origin crude.
Pressure on sanctions has also been visible in the United States. Sky News reported that Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent has extended a waiver allowing the purchase of Russian oil at sea, after earlier measures were introduced to help restrain fuel prices.
The backdrop is a broader squeeze on global energy markets. With the Strait of Hormuz a critical route for oil and gas shipments, any disruption there can quickly ripple through prices for aviation fuel and diesel, strengthening the case for governments worried about consumer costs even as they try to maintain economic pressure on Russia.
Source: Noah Wire Services
