UK sanctions all ten of Russia's top oil producers as EPC summit turns to Ukraine

The United Kingdom has become the first country to sanction all ten of Russia's major oil producers, the government announced as Prime Minister Andy Burnham arrived in Dublin for the European Political Community (EPC) summit, according to GOV.UK [1]. The announcement came as Burnham travelled to Dublin following the COP 31 summit in Türkiye, with leaders from around 50 countries gathering to discuss the war in Ukraine in the wake of peace talks held in Abu Dhabi this week, according to [1]. The new sanctions package targets shadow fleet vessels used to transport Russian oil and LNG, major coal companies, and Rosneft's flagship Arctic oil and gas project, LLC Vostok Oil, according to [1]. The UK also sanctioned Slavneft, which the government said made it the first country in the world to have sanctioned all of Russia's top ten oil producers, according to [1]. According to [1], the measures are designed to target nearly every part of the energy revenue chain across the oil and gas sectors — including producers, trading networks, supply chains and vessels — in an effort to further constrain Russia's ability to generate revenue to finance the war. At the summit, Burnham was expected to co-chair a small group meeting on Ukraine alongside President Zelenskyy, with leaders discussing how to build on the recent Abu Dhabi talks to secure what the government described as a "just and lasting peace," according to [1]. Burnham was expected to stress the importance of robust and legally binding security guarantees for Ukraine as part of any peace process, along with continued negotiations with European delegations and support for Zelenskyy's calls for a full and immediate ceasefire, according to [1]. The Prime Minister was also expected to tell fellow leaders that, despite progress in the talks, "now is not the time for the world to be complacent," according to [1]. He argued that Europe should both play its full part in negotiations and maintain pressure on Russia to ensure the talks are meaningful and reinforce European security, according to [1]. Burnham was quoted by the government as saying that the UK had announced "a sweep of stinging new sanctions to turn the screws on Russia's oil revenues and drive forward an end to the Kremlin's needless war," and that allies now needed to "harness the momentum on negotiations" for the security of Britain and the wider continent, according to [1]. Separately, the government said Ukrainian drone firm UForce was due to announce hundreds of skilled jobs and 60 apprenticeships in the UK, as the company sets up new factories, according to [1]. The announcement was made aboard HMS Prince of Wales, with the government saying more than 70% of the content of each UK-built drone boat would come from British suppliers, according to [1]. While at the EPC summit, Burnham was also expected to co-chair a defence and security roundtable with Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen, with leaders due to discuss Europe's response to what the government called an "increasingly difficult threat picture," particularly in the hybrid space, according to [1]. The government framed the sanctions and defence announcements as part of a 100-Year UK-Ukraine partnership, under which the UK says it has led international efforts to sanction Russian revenue streams and supply lethal aid to Kyiv, according to [1]. Further details of the EPC summit's outcomes were not available in the material reviewed.