Unlock the publisher’s digest free
Roula Khalaf, editor -in -chief of the FT, selects her favorite stories in this weekly newsletter.
The British government will announce new measures on Monday to prohibit managers and oligarchs linked to the Kremlin of the entry into Great Britain, in a demonstration of solidarity with kyiv on the occasion of the third anniversary of the Ukraine War.
Ministers will expand the exclusions to the United Kingdom to include anyone who provides significant support or have access to the highest levels, the Russian government said.
People who owe their significant status or wealth to the Russian State will also be covered by this decision, he added, in the midst of the growing concern concerning personalities connected to the Kremlin who denounce British values in public while Benefiting from the advantages of the United Kingdom in private.
The definition of those covered by this decision is intentionally wide, according to those responsible.
British Minister of Security, Dan Jarvis, said that this decision “would slam the door to the oligarchs who have enriched at the expense of the Russian people while putting this illegal and unjustifiable war at the end”.
He added: “My message to Putin’s friends in Moscow is simple: you are not welcome in the United Kingdom.”
His intervention intervened after Sir Keir Starmer reaffirmed the support of Great Britain in kyiv and repeated requests so that Ukraine is at the heart of everything in peace, while the Prime Minister is preparing to meet the President Donald Trump this week.
The measures come as the United Kingdom is preparing to reveal its greatest number of sanctions against Russia since the first days of war, which should be closely aligned on a significant EU.
British Foreign Minister David Lammy said that this decision was aimed at “turning the screws on Vladimir Putin” to erode his military machine and reduce income “fueling destruction fires in Ukraine”.
The new designations, supposed to target aluminum and oil exports of Russia, are above all grew up in European capitals that the American president could alleviate the sanctions against Moscow in the context of a peace agreement negotiated with Putin without European participation.
Sunday, Starmer told the Scottish Labor Conference in Glasgow that Great Britain “would not be intimidated by threats or tyranny”, but warned “we cannot hang on to the comfort of the past” in an oblique reference in American support.
Europe must “do more” to defend itself and “assume responsibility for our security,” said the Prime Minister.
A day earlier, Starmer spoke with Volodymyr Zelenskyy, reiterating “support for the whole United Kingdom to Ukraine” and its commitment to “guarantee a fair and lasting peace to end the illegal war of Russia “, According to Downing Street.
Starmer is preparing to keep discussions on the future of Ukraine with Trump in the White House on Thursday. French president Emmanuel Macron will also be in Washington for similar talks on Monday.
European leaders are pursuing diplomacy in the midst of rattling tensions between Trump and Zelenskyy. Many fear that the United States will conclude an agreement with Russia that crushes Ukraine and affects the regional long-term security.
To try to prevent this, Macron plans to argue that Trump rush into a ceasefire that would promote Russia is the wrong approach, advocating rather for a complete peace agreement with specific long-term security guarantees for Ukraine.
Macron and Starmer should both seek to persuade Trump that the safeguarding of Ukraine sovereignty is essential to dissuade future Russian assault, according to officials.
He and Starmer spoke on Sunday, committing to “showing united leadership in support of Ukraine in the face of Russian assault” and to agree to stay in close contact, according to number 10. Starmer also spoke to the Secretary General of NATO, Mark Rutte and Canada Prime Minister Justin Trudeau.
Relations between Trump and Zelenskyy quickly deteriorated with the American president qualifying his Ukrainian counterpart as a “dictator”, after Zelenskyy said that Trump lived in a bubble of disinformation in response to his previous assertion that kyiv had “started” war in Moscow.
According to Western officials, Great Britain and France have started to sketch proposals for a “comfort force” which is based on Western air power, supported by the United States, to enforce any cease Le-feu in Ukraine and dissuade potential Russian aggression. A deployment of troops is also under discussion.
Starmer was clear that an “American security net” would be crucial for such a plan, which means that the United States would continue to provide key capacities that European armies cannot, such as anti-missile defense, technological support and logistics.
