UK hits Russia with 100 new sanctions to 'ramp up' the pressure after Putin-Trump call
20 May 2025, 13:01 | Updated: 20 May 2025, 13:14
The UK and EU have announced new sanctions on Russia after Donald Trump’s call with Putin failed to deliver any meaningful progress towards a ceasefire in Ukraine.
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The UK announced 100 new sanctions on Russia in support of Ukraine, aimed at "ramping up pressure" on Russian President Vladimir Putin's military, energy exports and information war.
The sanctions would target dozens of bodies “supporting Russia’s military machine, energy exports and information war, as well as financial institutions helping to fund Putin’s invasion of Ukraine”.
They will be targeted at the Russian weapons supply chain, including Iskander missiles which have been fired into civilian areas during the war.
Putin has repeatedly fired Iskander missiles with a "callous disregard for life", the Government said, including in a strike against Sumy in April that Ukraine said killed 34 civilians including children.
“Putin has so far not put in place the full, unconditional ceasefire that President Trump has called for, and which President Zelenskyy endorsed over two months ago,” the Foreign Office said.
Foreign Secretary David Lammy said: “Today's measures will strike at the heart of Putin's efforts to get around our sanctions and help block his failing attempts to reconnect to the international economy."
The UK will also sanction 18 more ships in the ‘shadow fleet’ carrying Russian oil. The ‘shadow fleet’ refers to a number of oil tankers carrying cargo in defiance of sanctions imposed by the G7, which slapped a price cap of $60 per barrel of Russian crude oil.
The shadow fleet has transported most of Russia’s oil exports since the sanctions were imposed, with a value of around $80 billion (£59.8 billion).
Shortly after the UK’s announcement, the European Union announced its own new package of sanctions, specifically aimed at the shadow fleet, as well as Russia’s human rights violations and hybrid threats.
Read more: Trump says there's a 'good chance' of Russia-Ukraine peace but US has a red line in talks
The EU’s foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas said: "The EU has approved its 17th sanctions package against Russia, targeting nearly 200 shadow fleet ships."
She added: "More sanctions on Russia are in the works. The longer Russia wages war, the tougher our response."
It comes after US President Donald Trump said Russia and Ukraine will "immediately" begin ceasefire negotiations after he had a two-hour call with Putin on Monday evening.
While Trump insisted the call was ‘excellent’ and that Russia and Ukraine will “immediately start negotiations toward a ceasefire," it became clear that Trump had rowed back on his demand that Russia declare an immediate ceasefire.
Instead, the US president said that it was up to Russia and Ukraine to negotiate a ceasefire between them, indicating that his attempts at mediation between Putin and Zelenskyy might be subsiding, as the White House said Trump was ‘weary and frustrated’ with the negotiations.
Trump said: “The conditions will be negotiated between the two parties, as it can only be, because they know details of a negotiation that nobody else would be aware of.”
After the call, Trump suggested the US is unlikely to join the UK and EU in imposing sanctions on Russia – which Ukrainian PM Volodymyr Zelenskyy has been pushing for.
“We are working with partners to put pressure on the Russians to behave differently. Sanctions matter, and I am grateful to everyone who makes them more tangible for the perpetrators of the war,” Zelenskyy said.
Ukraine's leader said he told Trump that Russia "might propose some particularly difficult conditions" for a ceasefire, which could be a "a sign that it is the Russian side that is unwilling to end the war,” in a call before Trump spoke with Putin.
Zelenskyy added: "I think we are still discussing the very possibility of strong and severe sanctions [on Russia]," he continued. "I don't yet have an answer to that question."
Zelenskyy said Monday's talks were "positive" and that Kyiv is weighing the option of bringing together "high-level" delegations from Ukraine, the US, Russia, and several European nations for a potential meeting.
