On Tuesday, Britain announced new sanctions against Russia in response to what officials described as the largest drone assault on Ukraine to date that occurred over the weekend.
According to a statement from the British Foreign Office, the sanctions are aimed at “entities that support Russia’s military operations, energy exports, and information warfare.” They also target financial institutions believed to be financing Russia’s military efforts.
This action coincided with the European Union’s formal implementation of its 17th round of sanctions against Moscow, which the U.K. referred to as a “coordinated initiative to achieve a fair and enduring peace in Ukraine.”
British officials indicated that the sanctions are designed to decrease Russia’s oil revenues, and noted that London and its partners are in discussions to tighten the oil price cap.
“The sanctions imposed by the U.K. and other Western nations are significantly impacting Russia’s economy,” stated the Foreign Office. “Every rouble we manage to withhold from the Kremlin reduces Putin’s capacity to create chaos, division, and disorder globally.”
The Russian military reportedly launched 273 drones at Ukrainian cities on Saturday, marking the largest drone attack since the onset of the full-scale invasion, according to the Foreign Office.
“The people of Ukraine and around the world have borne the consequences of Putin’s aggression, and it is now time for him to face the repercussions for avoiding peace,” the statement emphasized.
In a related development, U.S. President Donald Trump had a two-hour phone conversation with Putin on Monday to discuss ending the three-year conflict, asserting that Russia and Ukraine would soon “immediately” commence peace negotiations.
However, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky accused Moscow on Tuesday of delaying the process.
The initial direct negotiations between the two parties, which took place in Istanbul on Friday, did not yield any significant progress. Zelensky remarked that Putin had sent “empty heads” to the negotiations.
“It is clear that Russia is attempting to stall in order to prolong its war and occupation,” Zelensky stated in a social media update.
