London will announce a hefty package of penalties against Russia on Monday, three years after the start of its war with Ukraine, UK Foreign Secretary David Lammy stated Sunday.
“This is also the time to turn the screws on (Vladimir) Putin’s Russia,” Lammy declared in a statement issued on Sunday, February 23, 2025.
“Tomorrow, I plan to announce the largest package of sanctions against Russia since the early days of the war-eroding their military machine and reducing revenues fuelling the fires of destruction in Ukraine,” he said further.
The UK’s decision to increase sanctions comes as US President Donald Trump has recently pushed to exclude Kyiv and its European allies from negotiations with Russia about the future of the conflict.
“This is a watershed moment in the history of Ukraine, Britain, and all of Europe… “Now is the time for Europe to double down on its support for Ukraine,” Lammy stated.
Since the commencement of the war, London has imposed sanctions on 1,900 people and groups linked to Putin’s regime, as of January 2025.
Its sanctions target Russia’s financial, aviation, military, and energy sectors, with bank asset freezes, travel bans, and trade restrictions.
Last week, EU members agreed to a fresh package of penalties, including a ban on Russian aluminium imports, which will be formally enacted on Monday.
– ‘Bridge’ –
Lammy highlighted the UK’s military support in his statement, which included a vow to provide £3 billion ($3.78 billion) to Kyiv annually and “being ready and willing to provide UK troops as part of peacekeeping forces if necessary”.
“Off the battlefield, we will work with the US and European partners to achieve a sustainable, just peace, and in doing so, remaining clear that there can be nothing about Ukraine without Ukraine,” Lammy went on:
On Saturday, UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer spoke separately with EU leader Ursula von der Leyen and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, reinforcing Lammy’s message.
Starmer will meet with Trump in Washington on Thursday, intending to serve as a “bridge” between the US and Europe to assure Kyiv’s territory and security assurances in the case of a peace agreement.
The effort appears to be becoming more difficult following a public fight between Zelensky and Trump last week, during which Trump referred to Ukraine’s leader as a “dictator” and praised “good talks” with Russia.
In an interview with Fox News on Friday, Trump accused Starmer and French President Emmanuel Macron of doing nothing to halt the war.
European countries fear that if Washington forces Ukraine into a terrible deal, Putin will declare triumph, leaving the continent at the mercy of an emboldened Moscow.
