Britain is sharpening its support for Ukraine on two fronts — energy security and economic pressure on Moscow — with Prime Minister Keir Starmer announcing plans to supply enriched uranium for Ukraine’s nuclear power stations while rolling out a fresh round of sanctions on Russia ahead of a G7 summit session.
Condemning Russia’s “barbaric strikes” on Ukraine, the UK is “stepping up” by “choking off the revenues that fuel [Vladimir] Putin’s war and powering Ukraine through the winters ahead”, Mr Starmer’s office quoted him as saying.
London said the new sanctions package will take aim at the shadow fleet used to ship Russian oil and gas and at the finance networks used to sidestep Western restrictions.
The measures also target three companies and 10 officers from the GRU intelligence agency suspected of involvement in covertly acquiring Western technology for the Russian military.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky arrived for the summit of seven leading world powers in the French resort town of Evian-les-Bains, as allies look for ways to tilt the balance in Kyiv’s favour after more than four years of war.
His appearance follows a Russian missile barrage yesterday that killed at least 11 people across Ukraine and sparked a fire at one of the most important Orthodox monasteries in the capital.
Mr Starmer’s office said the energy arrangement would “power Ukraine for the next two years”.
Mr Starmer — facing pressure at home after his defence minister quit last week in a dispute over military spending — is expected to tell leaders that “the G7 should collectively go further to ensure Ukraine secures the just and lasting peace it deserves”.
“We will stand with Ukraine for as long as it takes and this announcement reinforces that,” Mr Starmer said, according to his office.
Some £210 million (€243 million) worth of export finance will allow the UK-based Urenco to supply enriched uranium to Ukraine’s nuclear power producer, Energoatom, it said.
Moscow oil refinery damaged in Ukrainian drone attack, mayor says
Gazpromneft’s Moscow oil refinery processed 11.6 million tons of oil in 2024
A facility at the Moscow oil refinery owned by Russia’s Gazpromneft SIBN.MM was damaged in a Ukrainian drone attack, Moscow Mayor Sergei Sobyanin said.
“There were no casualties. Emergency services are working at the scene,” Mr Sobyanin wrote on Telegram, without saying whether refinery operations were affected.
The plant, the largest in the Moscow region, processed 11.6 million tons of oil in 2024 and produced 2.9 million tons of petrol and 3.2 million tons of diesel, according to the latest available data.
According to official data, social media and Reuters calculations, the number of drone strikes on Russian refineries has doubled since the start of 2026, forcing full or partial shutdowns of oil processing and contributing to lower output of gasoline, diesel and jet fuel.
The Gazpromneft refinery supplies the Moscow region, which has not so far been among the dozen or so Russian regions that have seen supply disruptions.
