Starmer vows new sanctions on Russia and nuclear energy support for Ukraine

What Happened

At the G7 summit in Évian-les-Bains, France, UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer announced new sanctions against Russia and a £210 million energy support package for Ukraine. The sanctions will target Russian finance networks, expand the list of vessels in Moscow's shadow fleet carrying oil or LNG to over 600, and target a Russian state-linked network procuring Western technology for its military, as well as suppliers helping Russia move money illegally. The energy support involves UK Export Finance investment in uranium enrichment company Urenco (33% UK government-owned) to supply enriched uranium to Ukraine's nuclear power producer Energoatom, following a two-year deal agreed between Starmer and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy at Downing Street last week. Starmer stated the aid would help 'power Ukraine through the winters ahead' and called on Russian President Vladimir Putin to end strikes and negotiate. The announcements come amid waning US support for Ukraine, with US President Donald Trump not scheduled for a bilateral meeting with Zelenskyy at the summit, though they will attend a working session together.

Key Actors

Why It Matters

The pledges reinforce the UK's and G7's commitment to Ukraine despite diminishing US enthusiasm, directly countering Russia's strategy of targeting energy infrastructure to degrade Ukrainian resilience. The uranium supply deal diversifies Ukraine's nuclear fuel sources away from Russia, while the sanctions on the shadow fleet and procurement networks aim to squeeze the financial and logistical underpinnings of the Russian war effort. The summit also tests the cohesion of Western support ahead of the NATO summit in July, as Trump's posture and Starmer's delayed defence investment plan add uncertainty.

Watch For

The specific designations of over 600 shadow fleet vessels and entities in the sanctions package; the publication date of the UK's defence investment plan before the 7 July NATO summit in Ankara; the outcomes of Starmer's meeting with Zelenskyy on Tuesday and any progress on broader G7 coordination over Iran's nuclear deal and the Strait of Hormuz; and whether Trump's lack of a bilateral meeting with Zelenskyy impacts US-Ukraine dynamics.