Sir Keir Starmer imposes further sanctions on Russia saying Vladimir Putin does not hold 'the cards'

He repeated calls for Ukraine to have a seat at the table for any peace talks, and for a US “backstop” to any peace agreement, which he is expected to discuss with Mr Trump when he visits Washington later this week.

Sir Keir added that Russian President Mr Putin “does not hold all the cards in this war”, pointing to Ukraine’s continued “courage to defend their country” and the prospect of tightened sanctions hitting the Russian economy.

Speaking to a gathering of Ukraine’s allies yesterday morning, Sir Keir said the new package of UK measures will go after Russia’s so-called shadow fleet, used to transport oil and goods in defiance of sanctions, as well as companies in China and elsewhere providing Moscow with military components.

“We must keep dialling up the economic pressure to get Putin to a point where he is ready not just to talk, but to make concessions,” he said in a remote address to the meeting in Kyiv.

The Foreign Office announced 107 new designations, that include 40 “shadow fleet” ships and 14 “new kleptocrats”, including Russian billionaire Roman Trotsenko, as part of the largest sanctions package since 2022.

North Korean officials involved in sending troops to fight for Russia, Kyrgyz bank OJSC Keremet, and companies in China, Turkey and India that supply tools and goods to Russia’s military, were also listed.

The UK will put another £20 million into medical and rehabilitation support for Ukrainians on the front line, doubling the project’s funding, the Ministry of Defence said.

Sir Keir later said the UK would “play its full part” and welcomed the lead the US is taking on peace negotiations during a call with G7 leaders including Mr Trump, whose overtures to the Russian president have alarmed Ukraine’s allies.

The Prime Minister paid tribute to Ukraine’s “resilience, courage and leadership” over the last three years, Sir Keir’s official spokesman said.

“He welcomed the lead President Trump is taking on delivering peace, and committed to working with him and other G7 leaders to deliver a just and lasting peace.”

He told the Kyiv meeting: “President Trump has changed the global conversation over the last few weeks, and it has created an opportunity. Now we must get the fundamentals right.

“If we want peace to endure, Ukraine must have a seat at the table, and any settlement must be based on a sovereign Ukraine backed up with strong security guarantees.

“The UK is ready and willing to support this with troops on the ground, with other Europeans and with the right conditions in place and, ultimately, a US backstop will be vital to deter Russia from launching another invasion in just a few years’ time.”

Mr Trump’s talks with Russia, his description of Ukraine’s president Volodymyr Zelensky as a “dictator”, and claim that Kyiv started the war, have shattered the transatlantic alliance on the issue.

The Prime Minister held his second call in three days with Mr Zelensky on Sunday, saying he would be “progressing important discussions” about Kyiv’s security on his visit to Washington.

The Home Office also announced a move to widen travel sanctions for Kremlin-linked elites.

Local and federal politicians as well as managers or directors of large Russian companies will face exclusion from the UK under the rules, which come on top of existing travel bans on high-profile business figures such as former Chelsea FC owner Roman Abramovich.