US, UK impose sweeping sanctions on Russia's oil industry

The United States and the United Kingdom imposed further sanctions connected Russia's vigor assemblage connected Friday successful an effort to curb backing for Moscow's full-scale penetration of Ukraine.

The US Treasury Department said it was designating 2 of Russia's largest lipid companies, Gazprom Neft and Surgutneftegas, fulfilling "the G7 committedness to trim Russian revenues from energy."

The sanctions besides use to 183 vessels that the US authorities believes are portion of Moscow's "shadow fleet" of ships allegedly utilized to evade existing sanctions connected the transport of Russian oil.

In addition, the measures people circumstantial projects and infrastructure for liquefied earthy gas, arsenic good arsenic subcontractors, work providers, traders and maritime insurers, the Treasury Department said.

UK coordinates sanctions with US

At the aforesaid time, the UK authorities imposed its ain sanctions connected Gazprom Neft and Surgutneftegas, saying their profits were "lining (Russian President Vladimir) Putin's warfare thorax and facilitating the war" successful Ukraine.

"Taking connected Russian lipid companies volition drain Russia's warfare thorax and each ruble we instrumentality from Putin's hands helps prevention Ukrainian lives," British Foreign Secretary David Lammy said.

The Foreign Office said that betwixt them the 2 companies nutrient much than 1 cardinal barrels of lipid a day, worthy $23 cardinal (€22.4 billion) a year.

The UK has already sanctioned astir 100 ships successful Russia's oil-carrying "shadow fleet" arsenic Ukraine's Western allies question to summation economical unit connected Moscow up of negotiations to extremity the war.

Up to Trump whether to support sanctions

The US administration chose this time, conscionable 10 days earlier President Joe Biden leaves office, to instrumentality tougher enactment connected lipid due to the fact that concerns astir planetary lipid markets person eased, White House nationalist information spokesperson John Kirby said.

Biden told reporters helium expected the determination could outgo drivers "three, 4 cents a gallon" astatine the pump.

Biden medication officials said it volition yet beryllium up to President-elect Donald Trump's medication to decide whether to support oregon scrap the caller sanctions.

Biden and Zelenskyy sermon US support, sanctions

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy welcomed caller US sanctions against Russia's lipid assemblage and its alleged shadiness tanker fleet.

 "These measures present a important stroke to the fiscal instauration of Russia's warfare instrumentality by disrupting its full proviso chain," helium wrote connected X.

According to White House, Biden spoke with Zelenskyy arsenic the sanctions were announced, discussing his administration's continued enactment for efforts to rein successful Russia and underscoring the request for that enactment to continue.

In a societal media post, Zelenskyy thanked Biden for Washington's enactment successful Ukraine's astir three-year warfare with Russia and for "the captious relation the United States has played successful uniting the planetary community."

Zelenskyy aboriginal besides expressed acknowledgment for British sanctions against Russian lipid companies, saying connected X that London "delivers yet different important disruption to Putin's quality to concern aggression."

dh/wmr (AP, AFP, dpa, Reuters)