Description: UK Prime Minister (PM) Keir Starmer and UK’s Foreign Minister (FM) David Lammy have announced what has been deemed as the largest sanctions package against Russia to date. Several foreign nationals were introduced to the sanctioned lists which also included North Korea’s Defense Minister No Kwang Chol and a Kyrgyzstani bank called OJSC Keremet Bank. According to Starmer and Lammy’s statements, the sanctions package was in order to put additional pressure on the Russian economy which would ultimately force Russia to the negotiating table faster and subsequently enable Ukraine to lesser concessions than previously discussed. The sanctions package comes ahead of the Starmer – Trump meeting scheduled for Thursday, where the UK would allegedly impose itself as a mediator between Europe and the US in an attempt to restore transatlantic relations.
Impact: The last three years of war in Ukraine only attested to the fact that sanctions packages are only a half – measure which lasts temporarily and does little to no damage in curbing the Russian war economy. The imposition of newly introduced sanctions is UK’s way of posturing before a crucial Starmer – Trump meeting on Thursday. The UK could play a crucial role in the upcoming peace negotiations as it aims at imposing itself as a diplomatic bridge between European countries and the US. The Trump administration so far has denounced the centuries long partnership with its European counterparts and leaned towards reestablishing stronger bilateral relations with Russia. European countries would need to rapidly mobilize their diplomatic efforts as the imposition of sanctions only screamed substantial discoordination and it was far from Trump’s demands on higher level of European involvement in international issues.