UK Targets Russia’s Shadow Fleet in Major New Sanctions Push
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Diverging Reports Breakdown
Ukraine Allies Announce New Weapons, Drone Deals at Latest Ramstein Meeting
The 29th meeting of the Ukraine Defense Contact Group – better known as the Ramstein format – concluded Monday. The United States announced the launch of a new mechanism – developed in cooperation with NATO – that will allow European countries to procure American weapons for Ukraine. Canada will contribute approximately $14.6 million to maintain Ukrainian tanks under the so-called “Danish model” of defense industrial support. The Netherlands pledged $218 million for interceptor drones and $136 million for maintenance and logistics tied to Ukraine’s future F-16 fleet. Norway announced a $1.09 billion drone procurement program for 2025, of which $436 million will be used to purchase drones made in Ukraine. Sweden is preparing a new aid package that includes air defense equipment, artillery, and additional military hardware.
In his first appearance at the forum as Ukraine’s Defense Minister, Denys Shmyhal welcomed a series of commitments from key partner nations and emphasized continued coordination on weapons production and delivery.
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Foreign Minister Denys Shmyhal, then prime minister, speaks during a meeting with US Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen (out of frame) at the World Bank headquarters in Washington, DC, on April 17, 2024. (Photo by Jim Watson / AFP)
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“During the Ramstein-format meeting, we received an important signal: the free world stands with Ukraine and peace,” Shmyhal said in a statement. “Together with our partners, we focused on strengthening the defense potential of the Ukrainian army.”
The United States announced the launch of a new mechanism – developed in cooperation with NATO – that will allow European countries to procure American weapons for Ukraine.
“European partners have already expressed readiness to join the financing,” Shmyhal said, adding that the mechanism’s implementation was discussed in detail.
Other Topics of Interest Ukraine’s ‘Battle-Tested’ Army Key to European Security, Says EU Defense Chief EU Commissioner Andrius Kubilius: Europe is ‘stepping up’ the 27-member bloc’s responsibility on security amid Russian threat.
Germany confirmed its role in a US-led initiative to provide Ukraine with five Patriot air defense systems, which are expected to arrive in the near future.
Berlin also pledged more than 200,000 rounds of ammunition for Ukraine’s Gepard air-defense platforms and additional funding for Ukrainian-made long-range drones.
Other countries also unveiled fresh commitments to support Kyiv:
Canada will contribute approximately $14.6 million to maintain Ukrainian tanks under the so-called “Danish model” of defense industrial support.
The Netherlands pledged $218 million for interceptor drones and $136 million for maintenance and logistics tied to Ukraine’s future F-16 fleet.
Norway announced a $1.09 billion drone procurement program for 2025, of which $436 million will be used to purchase drones made in Ukraine.
Sweden is preparing a new aid package that includes air defense equipment, artillery, and additional military hardware.
“I sincerely thank every country supporting Ukraine in the Ramstein format,” Shmyhal said. “Special thanks to the United States – the initiator of this platform in April 2022 – as well as to the United Kingdom and Germany for their leadership in the Contact Group.”
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At the previous Ramstein meeting in June, Ukraine and its partners announced a new push for joint arms production, with several nations offering to license the manufacture of missiles, drones, armored vehicles, and other materiel either in Ukraine or abroad.
UK Targets Russia’s Shadow Fleet in Major New Sanctions Push
The measures were announced Monday by UK Foreign Secretary William Hague. They are aimed at companies that help Russia evade the $60-per-barrel oil price cap. The UK has already sanctioned over 2,000 individuals and entities since the start of the war in Ukraine. The EU has also imposed sanctions on more than 1,000 people and businesses. The U.S. has imposed more than 2,500 sanctions on Russia since the war began in Ukraine in March 2014. The European Union has imposed over 1,200 sanctions on Russian individuals and businesses since March 2014, including more than 100 on Monday.
The measures were announced Monday by UK Foreign Secretary David Lammy, who said the goal was to prevent Russia from continuing to fund its war in Ukraine via its oil reserves.
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British Foreign Secretary David Lammy speaks during a joint press conference with Turkish Foreign minister following their meeting in Ankara on June 30, 2025. (Photo by Adem Altan / AFP)
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“New sanctions will further dismantle Putin’s shadow fleet and drain Russia’s war chest of its critical oil revenues,” Lammy said in an official statement.
The UK has issued multiple sanctions targeting the shadow fleet already.
Among the targets of the new sanctions are 135 vessels that have transported an estimated $24 billion worth of Russian oil since early 2024.
The UK also blacklisted Intershipping LLC, which it said helped Russia disguise these tankers under Gabonese flags, and Litasco Middle East DMCC, an oil trader linked to Lukoil.
Other Topics of Interest Ukraine’s ‘Battle-Tested’ Army Key to European Security, Says EU Defense Chief EU Commissioner Andrius Kubilius: Europe is ‘stepping up’ the 27-member bloc’s responsibility on security amid Russian threat.
Lammy said the new sanctions would disrupt the flow of money into Putin’s war machine “as he continues to stall and delay on serious peace talks.”
The crackdown comes as the UK and European Union tighten enforcement of the oil price cap, a key Western effort to curb Russia’s revenues while keeping global supply steady
According to UK officials, shadow fleet vessels have become a critical loophole, allowing Moscow to sell oil above the $60-per-barrel cap by rerouting cargoes through murky intermediaries.
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The move adds to mounting economic pressure on Moscow, which is already grappling with labor shortages, inflation, and rising debt as the war drags into its third year.
Lammy pledged the UK would “continue to use the full might of our sanctions regime to ratchet up economic pressure at every turn and stand side by side with Ukraine.”
The UK has sanctioned over 2,000 individuals and entities since the start of Russia’s full-scale invasion in February 2022, while the EU has issued over 2,500 sanctions.
UK hammers Putin’s energy revenues with fresh sanctions
UK announces 137 sanctions targeting Putin’s critical energy and oil sectors. New sanctions will disrupt the flow of oil money into Putin’s war chest and strand more of his beleaguered shadow fleet. Sanctions also target LITASCO MIDDLE EAST DMCC, which is linked to Russian oil major Lukoil, for its ongoing role in moving large volumes of Russian oil on shadow fleet vessels. Foreign Secretary David Lammy said: ‘We will not stand idly by. We will continue to use the full might of our sanctions regime to ratchet up economic pressure at every turn’
New sanctions will disrupt the flow of oil money into Putin’s war chest and strand more of his beleaguered shadow fleet.
Today’s action comes as the UK and EU lowered the Crude Oil Price Cap further disrupting the flow of oil money into Putin’s war chest.
The 137 targets strike at the heart of Russia’s energy sector, restricting Putin’s access to key oil revenues bankrolling his illegal war in Ukraine.
The new sanctions further crack down on Putin’s shadow fleet operations, targeting 135 oil tankers which form part of the fleet responsible for illicitly carrying $24 billion worth of cargo since the start of 2024.
Today’s action also tightens the net around those enabling Russia’s illicit shadow fleet oil trade, hitting INTERSHIPPING SERVICES LLC, responsible for registering shadow fleet vessels under the banner of the Gabonese flag, resulting in these vessels transporting up to $10 billion worth of goods on behalf of the Russian state per year. Sanctions also target LITASCO MIDDLE EAST DMCC, which is linked to Russian oil major Lukoil, for its ongoing role in moving large volumes of Russian oil on shadow fleet vessels.
Every attack we launch against Russia’s critical oil industry is another step towards securing a lasting peace in Ukraine, and a step towards security in the UK and beyond. Keeping the country safe is this government’s priority and is an integral part of the Prime Minister’s Plan for Change.
Foreign Secretary David Lammy said:
New sanctions will further dismantle Putin’s shadow fleet and drain Russia’s war chest of its critical oil revenues. As Putin continues to stall and delay on serious peace talks, we will not stand idly by. We will continue to use the full might of our sanctions regime to ratchet up economic pressure at every turn and stand side by side with Ukraine.
This announcement further demonstrates the UK’s tough approach to those who continue to prop up Putin’s oil industry, enable his shadow fleet operation and aid and abet his illegal war in Ukraine.
To date western sanctions have resulted in Russia’s oil and gas revenues falling every year since 2022 – losing over a third of its value in three years. Sanctions and the cost of Putin’s barbaric war are causing the Russian economy to stall – with the wealth fund hollowed out, inflation rising and government spend on defence and security spiralling.
Today’s action comes as the UK and EU lowered the Crude Oil Price Cap disrupting the flow of oil money into Putin’s war chest and striking at the heart of his oil revenues.
Background
EU targets Russian energy revenue with new sanctions over Ukraine war
Kaja Kallas said in a statement: “The message is clear: Europe will not back down in its support for the project.” “I’m going to try to get to the bottom of this,” she said. “It’s going to be hard, but I’ll try to do it.’”“I can’t wait to see what happens next,’ she said, “but it’d be great if I could get to know the people in the project a little bit better.““It would be great to see how they’re going to cope with it, but it would be a lot of work, too, if they could get out of the way of it, too. “ “‘I‘m not going to give up’, she added. ‘I don�’. ’’ ‘’I can’t give up. I want to go to the top of the project, to the end of the year, to see if I can find a way to get into it, to get a better
Kaja Kallas said in a statement: “The message is clear: Europe will not back down in its support for Ukraine. The EU will keep raising the pressure until Russia ends its war.”
Ms Kallas said the measures amount to “one of its strongest sanctions packages against Russia to date”, linked to the war, now in its fourth year.
European Union foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas announced the sanctions (Geert Vanden Wijngaert/AP)
It comes as European countries start to buy US weapons for Ukraine to help the country better defend itself.
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Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky welcomed the new measures, describing them as a “timely and necessary” step amid intensified Russian attacks.
“All infrastructure of Russia’s war must be blocked,” Mr Zelensky said, adding that Ukraine will synchronise its sanctions with the EU and introduce its own additional measures soon.
The European Commission, the EU’s executive branch, had proposed to lower the oil price cap from 60 US dollars (£44) to 45 dollars (£33), which is lower than the market price, to target Russia’s vast energy revenues.
The 27 member countries decided to set the price per barrel at just under 48 dollars (£35).
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The EU had hoped to get major international powers in the Group of Seven countries involved in the price cap to broaden the impact, but conflict in the Middle East pushed up oil prices and the Trump administration could not be brought on board.
In 2023, Ukraine’s Western allies limited sales of Russian oil to 60 dollars per barrel, but the price cap was largely symbolic as most of Moscow’s crude — its main money maker — cost less than that.
Still, the cap was there in case oil prices rose.
Oil income is the linchpin of Russia’s economy, allowing President Vladimir Putin to pour money into the armed forces without worsening inflation for everyday people and avoiding a currency collapse.
President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelensky welcomed the news of the sanctions and said that Ukraine will synchronise its sanctions with the bloc (Vadym Sarakhan/AP)
A new import ban was also imposed in an attempt to close a loophole allowing Russia to export crude oil via a number of non-EU countries indirectly.
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The EU also targeted the Nord Stream pipelines between Russia and Germany to prevent Mr Putin from generating any revenue from them in future, notably by discouraging would-be investors.
Russian energy giant Rosneft’s refinery in India was hit as well.
The pipelines were built to carry Russian natural gas to Germany but are not in operation. They were targeted by sabotage in 2022, but the source of the underwater explosions has remained a major international mystery.
On top of that, the new EU sanctions targeted Russia’s banking sector, with the aim of limiting the Kremlin’s ability to raise funds or carry out financial transactions. Two Chinese banks were added to the list.
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The EU has slapped several rounds of sanctions on Russia since Mr Putin ordered his troops into Ukraine on February 24 2022.
More than 2,400 officials and “entities” — often government agencies, banks, companies or organisations — have been hit with asset freezes and travel bans.
But each round of sanctions is getting harder to agree on, as measures targeting Russia bite the economies of the 27 member nations.
Slovakia held up the latest package over concerns about proposals to stop Russian gas supplies, which it relies on.
The last raft of EU sanctions, imposed on May 20, targeted almost 200 ships in Russia’s sanction-busting shadow fleet of tankers.
On Friday, 105 more ships were blocked from European ports, locks and from ship-to-ship transfers, bringing the total number of vessels now sanctioned to more than 400.
The EU and UK hit Russia with new sanctions. Moscow’s energy revenue and spies are targeted.
EU and Britain impose new sanctions on Russia over its war on Ukraine. New measures target Moscow’s energy sector, shadow intelligence service and oil tankers. EU foreign policy chief: “The EU will keep raising the pressure until Russia ends its war” U.K., meanwhile, imposed sanctions on units of Russia’s military intelligence service, GRU, U.S. President Barack Obama calls for an end to Russia’s aggression in eastern Ukraine. ‘We will respond to these at a time and in a manner of our choosing,’ Putin says of the EU sanctions, which he calls ‘unlawful’ and ‘unconstitutional’ ‘We have acquired certain immunity from sanctions,’ Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov says of Russia’s immunity from the sanctions. ‘We will need to analyze the new package in order to minimize negative consequences from it,” Putin says. ‘It’s getting harder and harder to convince him to change his mind,’ says German Chancellor. ‘The sanctions are getting harder to bite’
“The message is clear: Europe will not back down in its support for Ukraine. The EU will keep raising the pressure until Russia ends its war,” EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas said after the bloc agreed its new measures, including a new oil price cap.
Kallas said it’s “one of its strongest sanctions packages against Russia to date” linked to the war, now in its fourth year. It comes as European countries start to buy U.S. weapons for Ukraine to help the country better defend itself.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy welcomed the new measures, describing them as a “timely and necessary” step amid intensified Russian attacks.
“All infrastructure of Russia’s war must be blocked,” Zelenskyy said, adding that Ukraine will synchronize its sanctions with the EU and introduce its own additional measures soon.
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov brushed off the EU move, saying that “we consider such unilateral restrictions unlawful.”
“At the same time, we have acquired certain immunity from sanctions. We have adapted to living under sanctions,” Peskov said in a conference call with reporters. “We will need to analyze the new package in order to minimize negative consequences from it.”
The U.K. has Russia’s spies in its sights
The U.K., meanwhile, imposed sanctions on units of Russia’s military intelligence service, GRU. Also added to the list were 18 officers the U.K. said helped to plan a bomb attack on a theatre in southern Ukraine in 2022 and to target the family of a former Russian spy who was later poisoned with a nerve agent.
Hundreds of civilians sheltering in the theatre in Mariupol were killed in March 2022, shortly after Russia invaded Ukraine.
“GRU spies are running a campaign to destabilize Europe, undermine Ukraine’s sovereignty and threaten the safety of British citizens,” U.K. Foreign Secretary David Lammy said.
NATO also condemned Russia’s cyberattacks, saying in a statement that “we will respond to these at a time and in a manner of our choosing, in accordance with international law, and in coordination with our international partners including the EU.”
Targeting Russian energy interests
The European Commission, the EU’s executive branch, had proposed to lower the oil price cap from $60 to $45, which is lower than the market price, to target Russia’s vast energy revenues. The 27 member countries decided to set the price per barrel at just under $48.
The EU had hoped to get major international powers in the Group of Seven countries involved in the price cap to broaden the impact, but the Trump administration could not be brought onboard.
Oil income is the linchpin of Russia’s economy, allowing President Vladimir Putin to pour money into the armed forces without worsening inflation for everyday people and avoiding a currency collapse.
A new import ban was also imposed in an attempt to close a loophole allowing Russia to indirectly export crude oil via a number of non-EU countries.
The EU also targeted the Nord Stream pipelines between Russia and Germany to prevent Putin from generating any revenue from them in future, notably by discouraging would-be investors. Russian energy giant Rosneft’s refinery in India was hit as well.
The pipelines were built to carry Russian natural gas to Germany but are not in operation.
On top of that, the new EU sanctions targeted Russia’s banking sector, with the aim of limiting the Kremlin’s ability to raise funds or carry out financial transactions. Two Chinese banks were added to the list.
Agreeing sanctions is getting harder
The EU has slapped several rounds of sanctions on Russia since Putin ordered his troops into Ukraine in February 24, 2022.
More than 2,400 officials and “entities” — often government agencies, banks, companies or organizations — have been hit with asset freezes and travel bans.
But each round of sanctions is getting harder to agree, as measures targeting Russia bite the economies of the 27 member nations. Slovakia held up the latest package over concerns about proposals to stop Russian gas supplies, which it relies on.
German Chancellor Friedrich Merz said he had spoken to Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico “almost daily” in recent days to convince him to change his mind. “But it took a very long time again — the processes are too sluggish,” he told reporters in Berlin.
The last raft of EU sanctions, imposed on May 20, targeted almost 200 ships in Russia’s sanction-busting shadow fleet of tankers. On Friday, 105 more ships were blocked from European ports, locks and from ship-to-ship transfers, bringing the total number of vessels now sanctioned to more than 400.
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Illia Novikov in Kyiv, Geir Moulson in Berlin and Emma Burrows in London contributed to this report.