Europe’s Leaders Press For Global Sanctions On Russian Oil

by Stefan J. Bos, Worthy News Europe Bureau Chief

LONDON/BUDAPEST (Worthy News) – European leaders of the so-called “Coalition of the Willing” want more countries to impose sanctions on Russian oil companies after U.S. President Donald J. Trump unveiled a new wave of measures targeting Moscow’s two biggest oil producers, Rosneft and Lukoil.

The demand came during Friday’s talks in London hosted by British Prime Minister Keir Starmer with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and other leaders.

They discussed a range of efforts, including removing Russian oil and natural gas from global markets and supplying Kyiv with more long-range missiles to halt Moscow’s ongoing military invasion following recent deadly strikes on Ukraine’s energy infrastructure.

The secretary-general of the NATO military alliance, Mark Rutte, confirmed that President Trump is still “reviewing whether to send Tomahawk missiles to Ukraine,” amid reports that the U.S. is weighing escalation risks against the need to bolster Kyiv’s defenses.

However, Starmer said Friday there was also “absolute clarity” among participants that progress on using frozen Russian assets to fund a loan to support Ukraine must be realized quickly.

A key point of debate during the meeting was how to use the roughly $225 billion in frozen Russian state assets held in Western countries.

While leaders agreed that the funds should support Ukraine’s reconstruction and defense, some EU states, including Belgium, where a large portion of these assets are held, raised legal and financial concerns over the mechanism for channeling the proceeds into a joint loan facility for Kyiv.

CALLS FOR ACTION ON RUSSIA

However Starmer emphasized that “Russia’s bill for this war is already due,” while Zelenskyy urged faster coordination, warning that “every month of delay costs more Ukrainian lives.”

“The message from London is clear,” Starmer told reporters. “We have to move fast to ensure that Russia pays for the destruction it has caused, and that Ukraine has the means to defend itself and rebuild.”

The British leader also referred to the sentencing of six British men earlier that day for their roles in a Russia-sponsored arson and kidnapping plot linked to the Wagner mercenary network.

Starmer said the convictions showed that “the threat is not abstract — it is here on our streets.

He added: “We will not tolerate this hostile activity. What happens on the frontline of Donetsk today is shaping our collective security for years to come.”

According to prosecutors, the group set fire to a warehouse in Leyton, East London, that stored humanitarian and satellite-communications equipment destined for Ukraine, causing around 1 million pounds (about $1.3 million) in damage.

The ringleader, Dylan Earl (21), was sentenced to 17 years in prison under the National Security Act 2023 for aggravated arson and assisting foreign intelligence services.

BRITAIN’S SECURITY CONCERNS AND WAGNER

The five other defendants — Charlie Gardiner (20), John Allard (22), Luke Skilling (19), Mason Simmons (21), and Adam Blaine (25) — received sentences ranging from six to nine years for conspiracy and related terrorism offenses.

Investigators said the men were recruited via encrypted social-media channels to carry out acts of sabotage and were also planning further arson attacks, including at a Mayfair restaurant and a kidnapping of a Russian dissident in London.

Britain stressed the case exposed how Russia’s Wagner network of paramilitaries continues to sponsor proxy operations in Europe.

The London meeting followed the EU’s 19th package of sanctions, which includes a full transaction ban on Rosneft and Gazprom Neft and a planned phase-out of Russian liquefied natural gas (LNG) imports.

Washington’s new measures, announced October 22, mark a significant escalation in efforts to cut off Kremlin energy revenues, according to analysts.

Oil markets reacted swiftly, with U.S. benchmark crude prices rising about 5.6 percent after the sanctions were unveiled. Several EU states reliant on Russian-linked refineries, such as Bulgaria, are now preparing emergency measures to secure fuel supplies.

Analysts warn that while the restrictions are severe, Russia retains alternative export routes — especially toward Asia — potentially limiting short-term effects on its war economy.

FIGHTING FOR UKRAINE AND EUROPE

The coalition leaders also reaffirmed that any future peace settlement must include lasting security guarantees for Ukraine.

A joint statement released after the talks said members are preparing a framework for a “long-term European security architecture” that would protect Ukraine and deter future aggression from Moscow.

“We are not just fighting for Ukraine’s survival, but for the stability of Europe itself,” Starmer claimed.

The “Coalition of the Willing,” which includes Britain, the Netherlands, Poland, and several Baltic and Nordic nations, urged others to join the sanctions drive and “to maintain unity” as Russian air incursions into Europe and deadly strikes in Ukraine continue.

Zelenskyy thanked participants for their support but pressed for more long-range weapons, saying that “sanctions alone cannot stop missiles — but together, sanctions and strength can.”

More than one million people are believed to have been killed or injured since Russia launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022.

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