UK hits Russian shadow fleet, funds Ukraine nuclear deal
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- Keir Starmer announced fresh UK energy sanctions on Russia at the G7 summit in Evian-les-Bains, targeting Russia's "shadow fleet" and finance networks used to circumvent sanctions and arm the Russian military.
- The package includes an embargo on vessels carrying sanctioned Russian LNG, and follows the first interception of a banned oil tanker by British forces over the weekend.
- £210 million in UK Export Finance will back Urenco to supply enriched uranium to Ukraine's state nuclear producer Energoatom under a two-year deal agreed between Starmer and President Vlodomyr Zelenskyy.
- Starmer cast the measures as collective defense, saying "Russia's aggression threatens not just Ukraine, but the security of all Europe."
- The G7's opening session is focused on building peace and security for Ukraine and Europe, with Starmer expected to urge fellow leaders to go further to secure a "just and lasting peace."
Why it matters: The £210 million uranium deal locks in two years of nuclear fuel for Ukraine's grid heading into winter, while the shadow-fleet embargo — timed to the UK's first tanker interception — marks a shift from paper sanctions to physical enforcement at sea, raising the cost of Russia's sanctioned energy trade.
