Britain imported no fuels from Russia in June for the primary time on report following the imposition of sanctions over the invasion of Ukraine, official information exhibits.
The determine revealed by the Office for National Statistics (ONS) comes after the UK moved to sever all reliance on Moscow for its energy wants within the face of Kremlin aggression by phasing out the usage of its oil and fuel.
Russia has subsequently been accused of weaponising power by limiting fuel provides by means of the Nord Stream pipeline to Europe in retaliation for sanctions, fuelling hovering costs and the deepening price of dwelling disaster forward of winter.
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The import of Russian items additionally dropped to £33m in June, the bottom degree since information started in January 1997, in keeping with the ONS.
This represents a 96.6% fall in contrast with the typical month-to-month imports within the 12 months earlier than the Ukraine invasion in February this yr.
Although British exports to Russia rose barely month-on-month in June, their ranges have dropped by £168m, some two-thirds, in contrast with the month-to-month common within the yr to February.
Exports of most commodities had fallen considerably by June, with equipment and transport gear plunging by £118m or 91%.
Chemicals had been the one commodity exported to Russia that elevated over this era, pushed by a rise of £39.1m (61.8%) in exports of medicine and medicines, that are exempt from sanctions.
While financial sanctions imposed by the UK are more likely to have pushed the autumn in imports and exports, the ONS factors out that so-called “self-sanctioning”, the place merchants voluntarily search alternate options to Russian items, was additionally seemingly an element.
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The figures had been revealed as Ukraine celebrated 31 years because it declared independence from the Soviet Union, whereas it additionally marked six months since Russia’s invasion started.
Prior to the invasion of Ukraine, Russia was the UK’s largest provider of refined oil in 2021, accounting for twenty-four.1% of all imports of this commodity, and likewise accounted for five.9% of the UK’s crude oil imports, and 4.9% of the nation’s fuel imports.
As a results of the UK authorities’s motion, there have been no imports of refined oil, crude oil, fuel or coal, coke and briquettes from Russia in June.
This has prompted importers to hunt alternate options and there have been will increase in imports of refined oil from Saudi Arabia, the Netherlands, Belgium and Kuwait in current months.
Source: information.sky.com”