Coalition of the willing to reconvene ‘in weeks' as UK pushes Russian oil cap

Independent

6 hours ago

Sir Keir Starmer and Volodymyr Zelensky will convene a meeting of the so-called 'coalition of the willing' in the coming weeks, Downing Street said as the UK pushed for allies to tighten the oil price cap on Russia.
The Prime Minister on Tuesday announced a series of measures aimed at ramping up pressure on Vladimir Putin as he continues to resist calls for an unconditional ceasefire in Ukraine.
Speaking to reporters on the sidelines of the G7 summit in Canada, Sir Keir said he 'strongly' believes that restrictions on the price of Russian crude oil should be strengthened to deplete its energy revenues.
He also dismissed suggestions that plans, led by Britain and France, for a 'coalition of the willing' to send peacekeeping troops to Ukraine were dead in the water as progress towards a potential truce stalls.
In a bilateral meeting with the Ukrainian president on the sidelines of the leaders' conference on Tuesday, the two leaders 'agreed to drive forward the next stage of military support', Number 10 said.
'Their meeting followed an extensive session with wider partners, focused on maintaining momentum to secure a just and lasting peace for Ukraine,' the readout said.
'The Prime Minister and president agreed to drive forward the next stage of military support – adding that a strong Ukraine is essential to guarantee peace in the long term.
'They agreed to convene the next coalition of the willing meeting in the coming weeks.
'They also discussed ramping up the economic pressure on Putin, with the Prime Minister updating the president on the new sanctions announced by the United Kingdom today.
'They agreed there should be no place to hide for those who fund Putin's war machine.'
Mr Zelensky said they had agreed that 'to force Russia to end this war, coordinated sanctions by all G7 countries are needed against their energy and banking sectors, shadow fleet, and military-industrial complex'.
Britain announced sanctions on 20 Russian oil tankers as well as measures to tighten the net around companies managing the vessels, with Downing Street saying the UK would also seek to 'move with partners' to tighten the energy price cap.
A wider package of measures which Sir Keir suggested would be forthcoming from leaders gathered at the summit in the Canadian Rockies is yet to materialise after splits opened up in the approach to Russia on Monday.
Instead, Mark Carney, prime minister of G7 host country Canada, said in a closing statement that leaders were 'resolute in exploring all options to maximise pressure on Russia, including financial sanctions'.
Mr Carney also said Ottawa would give 2 billion Canadian dollars in aid to Kyiv.
Allies face an uphill struggle to lower the cap from the existing rate of 60 dollars per barrel after Donald Trump signalled his reluctance to impose further measures on Moscow.
The US president suggested he wanted to wait to 'see whether or not a deal is done' with Ukraine before targeting the Kremlin with further action.
Speaking to reporters with him in Kananaskis, Sir Keir was asked if tightening the oil price cap would be possible without the backing of Washington.
'Obviously today we're going to focus on Ukraine,' Sir Keir said.
'We've got President (Volodymyr) Zelensky coming in. We're putting in extra sanctions today, including sanctions on the shadow fleet.
'Others will be doing, similar actions in coming days. And so that does ramp up the pressure.
'On the oil price, obviously, we're still looking at how we're going to make that work. But I strongly believe that we have to put those sanctions in place. We're having those discussions with President Zelensky today.'
Talks to broker a possible peace in Ukraine have stalled as Moscow continues to pound the country with missile and drone attacks and holds out on US-backed proposals for an unconditional truce.
Meanwhile, the UK and France have been leading efforts to assemble a so-called 'coalition of the willing' made up of nations prepared to send peacekeeping troops to Kyiv to enforce a potential ceasefire.
Asked whether those plans were dead in the water, Sir Keir told reporters: 'On the coalition of the willing, no, not at all. That is obviously intended to answer the question, how do you ensure that if a deal is reached, a deal is kept so it's a lasting deal?
'Because the concern, has always been, that there have been deals, if you like, before, Putin has then subsequently breached them.
'So how do you stop that happening again? And the military planning is still going on, as you would expect, so that, when the time comes, we're ready to act.'
At the top of meeting with Sir Keir on the fringes of the summit, Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said Canberra was 'willing to consider' joining the coalition 'if we can get some advance in peace'.
The leader first said he would be open to such a move in March.
Mr Zelensky attended the G7 conference in Kananaskis, along with leaders from Canada, the US, France, Italy, Japan, Germany and Britain.
As well as sanctions on Russia's shadow fleet, Britain has also targeted two UK residents – Vladimir Pristoupa and Olech Tkacz – who the Government said had operated 'a shadowy network of shell companies' aiding Moscow.
The branch of the Russian defence ministry leading the country's underwater intelligence gathering operations, known as Gugi, has also been sanctioned.
Sir Keir said: 'These sanctions strike right at the heart of Putin's war machine, choking off his ability to continue his barbaric war in Ukraine.
'We know that our sanctions are hitting hard, so while Putin shows total disregard for peace, we will not hesitate to keep tightening the screws.
'The threat posed by Russia cannot be underestimated, so I'm determined to take every step necessary to protect our national security and keep our country safe and secure.'