{"id":138127,"date":"2025-05-20T12:44:00","date_gmt":"2025-05-20T12:44:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/quixnet.net\/wpinstance\/ukraine-war-latest-uk-and-eu-slap-dozens-of-new-sanctions-on-russia-sky-news\/"},"modified":"2025-05-20T12:44:00","modified_gmt":"2025-05-20T12:44:00","slug":"ukraine-war-latest-uk-and-eu-slap-dozens-of-new-sanctions-on-russia-sky-news","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/quixnet.net\/wpinstance\/ukraine-war-latest-uk-and-eu-slap-dozens-of-new-sanctions-on-russia-sky-news\/","title":{"rendered":"Ukraine war latest: UK and EU slap dozens of new sanctions on Russia – Sky News"},"content":{"rendered":"

The UK and EU have announced extra sanctions on Russia, targeting sectors from the military to Moscow’s “shadow fleet” of oil tankers. Meanwhile, Volodymyr Zelenskyy has accused Vladimir Putin of “playing for time” after calls with Donald Trump ended with no breakthrough.
Tuesday 20 May 2025 13:30, UK
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Fresh off it 17th package of sanctions – see our post at 11.54 – Lithuania wants the EU to prepare another wave of measures.
The Eastern European country’s foreign minister Kestusis Budrys called for the 18th round, just before a meeting with EU colleagues.
That comes as Russia’s foreign ministry spokeswoman said Russia would never bow to ultimatums from anyone, when asked about the bloc’s latest sanctions.
Maria Zakharova added it is clear Europe wants to re-arm Ukraine to continue the war.
Worth noting here that Russia started the war when it invaded Ukraine in February 2022, despite repeatedly dismissing concerns it would do just that.
A small update to bring you now from Moscow.
Russian’s foreign ministry spokeswoman has said it’s up to Ukraine whether talks continue.
Maria Zakharova said Kyiv must decide if it will cooperate on forming a memorandum ahead of a future peace deal.
In her weekly briefing, she also said Ukraine’s allies in Europe had tried – and failed – to prevent direct dialogue with Russia.
After Vladimir Putin’s two-hour call with Donald Trump yesterday, the Russian president said Moscow is ready to work with Kyiv on a memorandum on a future peace treaty.
All that really means, our Moscow correspondent Ivor Bennett<\/b><\/a> explained, is that talks will continue.
Two strategic bombers carried out a scheduled flight near Norway, according to the defence ministry.
Cited by Tass state news agency, the ministry said the TU-95M craft flew over international waters in the Barents Sea.
The planes were escorted by others belonging to an unnamed foreign country for part of the flight, which lasted more than four hours, the report added.
While Donald Trump has so far resisted calls to push sanctions on Moscow, Europe has been busy working up new measures.
Trump said last night sanctions could “make it much worse”, as he thinks “there’s a chance of getting something done”.
But, just as the UK unveils new sanctions (see the below post), the EU has adopted a package of their own, zeroing in on Moscow’s “shadow fleet” of oil tankers, human rights violations and hybrid threats.
The bloc’s foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas said: “The EU has approved its 17th sanctions package against Russia, targeting nearly 200 shadow fleet ships.”
She added: “More sanctions on Russia are in the works. The longer Russia wages war, the tougher our response.”
The EU and its Western allies have been progressively cracking down on Russia’s shadow fleet of tankers that try to circumvent the Group of Seven nations’ price cap on Russian crude, in place since late 2022.
As we explain in the post below, this cap was designed to allow Russian oil to be sold to third countries using Western insurance services – provided the price was no more than $60 a barrel.
The UK has slapped Russia with 100 new sanctions, targeting the country’s military, energy and financial sectors.
Foreign secretary David Lammy labelled Vladimir Putin a “warmonger” as he pointed to Russia’s strikes across Ukraine over recent days. 
“We urge him to agree a full, unconditional ceasefire right away so there can be talks on a just and lasting peace,” he said, as he unveiled the sanctions.
What are the latest sanctions?<\/b>
Among the sanctions are measures targeting the supply of weapons systems, such as Iskander missiles, which have been used indiscriminately in Ukraine.
Russian misinformation is also in the UK government’s cross-hairs.
14 more members of the Social Design Agency (SDA), a Kremlin-funded information operation, have been sanctioned – with the leaders of the group already singled out last year.
46 financial institutions helping Russian attempts to evade sanctions have also now been sanctioned, as has the St Petersburg Currency Exchange and the Russian Deposit Insurance Agency.
What about Russian oil?<\/b>
18 more ships in the ‘shadow fleet’ transporting Russian oil are on the list.
Earlier this month, Sir Keir Starmer announced an additional 110 shadow fleet-related sanctions.
The government also said it is working to tighten the Oil Price Cap, which limits how much Russia can charge for its oil if transported using G7 services.
The cap was introduced in December 2022 and bans companies based in G7 nations from trading Russian oil if it sold at more than $60 a barrel.
But the government says it’s now reviewing that cap and may lower it even further, so it is closer to the cost of production, reducing Russian oil revenues.
Russia is playing for time, Volodymyr Zelenskyy has said, and should face more sanctions.
Speaking a day after Donald Trump had a call with Vladimir Putin – with no breakthrough and no sign of a ceasefire – Ukraine’s president said the war must end through negotiations, but there must be clear and realistic proposals.
“It is obvious that Russia is trying to buy time to continue the war and occupation,” he wrote on the Telegram messaging app.
“We are working with partners to put pressure on the Russians to behave differently.
“Sanctions matter, and I am grateful to everyone who makes them more tangible for the perpetrators of the war.”
Ukraine is “ready for any effective negotiation formats”, he added.
And if Russia “continues to put forward unrealistic conditions”, then “there must be tough consequences”.
It’s “very positive” the US is involved in peace efforts, NATO chief Mark Rutte has said.
Speaking before a meeting of European ministers in Brussels this morning, he added it is “crucial” Ukraine and Europeans are consulted as well.
Donald Trump, who had a call with Vladimir Putin yesterday, said he spoke to Volodymyr Zelenskyy as well as the leaders of the EU, France, Italy, Germany and Finland in a group call afterwards.
His administration has been criticised for direct talks with Moscow without Kyiv, raising fears in Ukraine they will have a ceasefire plan imposed on them with unacceptable conditions.
The International Monetary Fund has started a new review of its $15.5bn (\u00a311.6bn) programme to Ukraine.
The four-year Extended Fund Facility was agreed in 2023 to shore up finances severely strained by Russia’s invasion, in turn reassuring allies Ukraine is pursuing strong economic policies and fighting corruption.
It’s the eighth review into the use of the fund, ensuring Ukraine is following sound economics.
Ukraine Central Bank’s governor Andriy Pyshnyi said the programme “remains a particular factor of resilience for us, especially during this time”.
Russia’s invasion has devastated the Ukrainian economy, with millions of people fleeing the fighting, cities and infrastructure bombed and supply chains disrupted.
In the first year of the war, Ukraine’s GDP – a measure of a country’s wealth – fell by nearly 30%.
It is still lower than pre-war levels, but saw modest growth in 2023 and 2024.
While diplomatic efforts continue – and there is no sign of a breakthrough after Donald Trump’s call with Vladimir Putin – fighting remains ongoing across the frontline in Ukraine.
Scroll through the maps below to view different parts of the battlefield, including the situation in key regions such as Luhansk, Donetsk, Kursk and Belgorod.
Vladimir Putin is not actually interested in peace, Germany’s defence minister has just said.
Speaking before a meeting with EU defence ministers in Brussels, Boris Pistorius said Russia’s president is “playing for time”.
Russia’s attacks – and more have been reported overnight, in the posts below – say more than “lip service”, he added. 
Pistorius also said Europe needs to increase the pressure on Russia by imposing more sanctions, especially on energy sales.
Our military analyst Michael Clarke<\/b><\/a> said in his weekly live Q&A last week there is “no reason” to believe Putin wants long-term peace – because “that’s not good for his rule”.
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