The UK government has imposed sanctions on Rosneft, Russia’s largest oil producer, and on Lukoil as part of a new package aimed at weakening Moscow’s economy amid the war in Ukraine. The Foreign Office said the two firms export about 3.1 million barrels of oil a day. Rosneft, Russia’s biggest company, accounts for around 6% of global oil production and makes up nearly half of Russia’s oil output. The measures also target the so-called ‘shadow fleet’, which enables Russia to export oil. The sanctions bar UK businesses and individuals from trading with the named entities.

Foreign Secretary Yvette Cooper said the new measures form part of what are among the strongest sanctions to date and signalled that further actions could follow. The package targets 90 objectives, including refineries worldwide that import Russian oil, suppliers of drone and missile components, and 44 shadow fleet vessels involved in moving oil. The government noted that more than 2,900 Russian individuals, bodies and companies have been sanctioned since Russia’s invasion in February 2022. It said Cooper had discussed the issue with Russia’s foreign minister at the UN last month.

Defence Secretary John Healey argued that NATO support for Ukraine must rise in step with any Russian escalation. He spoke after Nato defence ministers gathered in Brussels and noted the UK’s involvement in the Ukraine Defence Contact Group. The government said the UK will continue its participation in Nato’s Eastern Sentry mission, with RAF Typhoon fighters patrolling Poland after drone incursions, and that more than 85,000 drones have been supplied to Ukraine in the last six months. The UK will also deploy counter-drone experts to Moldova. Separately, Ruslan Stefanchuk, the chairman of Ukraine’s Verkhovna Rada, visited London to mark the 100 Year Partnership Agreement aimed at boosting defence, scientific cooperation and community links between the two countries.