The British government has announced its “largest-ever” sanctions package against Russia, according to an official statement. The measure aim to deal a blow to the Russia’s oil transportation network and reduce Moscow’s energy revenues.

The announcement was timed to coincide with Russia’s celebration of the 80th anniversary of the defeat of Nazi Germany on Friday.

London, one of Kiev’s staunchest supporters – providing it with military and tactical support and billions in cash – has long claimed that Moscow poses a threat to the UK’s national security. Various British governments have implemented over 2,000 sanctions against Russian individuals and entities, since the escalation of the Ukraine conflict over three years ago.

“The threat Russia poses to our national security cannot be underestimated. To ramp up the pressure on Putin, I’m announcing the largest package of sanctions yet,” Prime Minister Keir Starmer wrote on X.

The new measures blacklist up to 100 oil tankers that the West claims are part of a Russian “shadow fleet,” older vessels operating outside Western insurance systems. According to London, the vessels have carried more than $24 billion worth of cargo since the start of 2024. The EU and the US have also targeted Russian shipping and a 17th European sanctions package that would blacklist another 150 ships is expected to be approved later this month.

Moscow has dismissed the restrictions as a “futile” gesture that will not harm the Russian economy, but instead drive-up energy costs and inflation across Europe. 
Russia’s oil revenues have remained robust thanks to non-Western buyers, such as China and India. Last month, the Russian Embassy in London urged the British government to stop “theatrical and short-lived gestures of hostility towards Russia.”

The UK has also accused the vessels of posing a threat to critical undersea infrastructure, such as telecommunications cables and oil and gas pipelines, dismissed by Moscow as “hastily concocted fantasy stories.”

London’s tough sanctions rhetoric comes as Britain, along with the EU, is being sidelined from the peace process around Ukraine.

A key London meeting on the conflict was downgraded last month after US Secretary of State Marco Rubio canceled his attendance. US President Donald Trump has also floated the idea of a possible partial lifting of restrictions on Moscow as part of a possible peace settlement.

https://www.rt.com/news/617190-uk-russia-sanctions-shadow-fleet/

MAKE A DEAL PRONTO BEFORE THE SHIT HITS THE FAN:

NO NATO IN "UKRAINE" (WHAT'S LEFT OF IT)

THE DONBASS REPUBLICS ARE NOW BACK IN THE RUSSIAN FOLD — AS THEY USED TO BE PRIOR 1922. THE RUSSIANS WON'T ABANDON THESE AGAIN.

THESE WILL ALSO INCLUDE ODESSA, KHERSON AND KHARKIV.....

CRIMEA IS RUSSIAN — AS IT USED TO BE PRIOR 1954

TRANSNISTRIA WILL BE PART OF THE RUSSIAN FEDERATION.

A MEMORANDUM OF NON-AGGRESSION BETWEEN RUSSIA AND THE USA.

EASY.

THE WEST KNOWS IT.

READ FROM TOP.

YOURDEMOCRACY.NET RECORDS HISTORY AS IT SHOULD BE — NOT AS THE WESTERN MEDIA WRONGLY REPORTS IT.

         Gus Leonisky

         POLITICAL CARTOONIST SINCE 1951.

British warmongering in Ukraine

Simon KORNER

From the beginning of the war in Ukraine, Britain strongly insisted on its continuation and escalation. Boris Johnson sabotaged the 2022 peace talks, and Starmer is now sabotaging Trump's by refusing to recognize Crimea as Russian and insisting that Ukraine must decide the terms of any peace agreement—two red lines for Russia.

Before the Western-orchestrated Ukrainian coup in 2014, Britain was moving closer to Russia. Trade and investment between Britain and Russia were growing. BP held a 19.75% stake in the oil company Rosneft, Russia was the main customer for Nissan Qashqai cars manufactured in Sunderland, and there were close ties between British and Russian universities, offering dual degree programs, as well as financial collaboration between the City of London and Moscow. Russian immigration to the UK peaked in the mid-2000s, notably with the acquisition of properties in "Londonistan" by Russian oligarchs.

ALL-SIDE SUPPORT FOR BRITISH AGGRESSION AND A MASSIVE INCREASE IN MILITARY SPENDING

Britain is now the leading Western warmonger against Russia, as highlighted in the government's Integrated Review (IR23) strategy document, which designates Russia as its main enemy.

Since March 2023, Britain has become the largest donor of military aid to Ukraine, after the United States and Germany, providing extensive military intelligence and training. Its main efforts have been focused on escalating the war through dangerous military provocations—such as the attack on the Kerch Bridge in Crimea—rallying other aggressor countries against Russia, and intervening diplomatically to prevent peace. It supplied tanks to Ukraine before any other Western power—in January 2023—a dangerous provocation, to which there was no domestic objection, as British aggression enjoys cross-party support. All major British parties, including the Greens, vilify Russia, with the possible exception of the Reform Party. Starmer promised Trump that Britain was committing to the largest increase in defense spending since the end of the Cold War. It plans to spend 3% of GDP on defense in the next parliament and is currently committed to increasing this to 2.36% next year. This represents an additional £6.4 billion by 2027. The focus will be on nuclear submarines, warships, drones, and AI-powered technologies, with the defense sector being touted by the Treasury as a "growth engine"—a military Keynesian argument that ignores the reality: the number of jobs in the defense industry is actually small.

This rapid shift from close cooperation to hostility can be explained by the benefits and strategic advantage Britain perceives in the war. It has several reasons for not wanting it to end.

THE STARMER GOVERNMENT DOESN'T WANT THE WAR TO END

First, it wants access to Ukraine's valuable minerals. Approximately 5% of the world's "critical raw materials" are found in Ukraine. This includes some 19 million tonnes of graphite, of which Ukraine is one of the world's top five suppliers. Graphite is used to make batteries for electric vehicles. Other key minerals include rare earths, which play a crucial role in defense technologies, including missile guidance systems and radar networks.

In total, Ukraine has approximately 20,000 mineral deposits covering 116 mineral types, including beryllium, manganese, gallium, uranium, zirconium, nickel, titanium, and lithium, with an estimated value of $26 trillion. (1)

The first-ever UK Critical Minerals Strategy, launched in 2022 and updated in 2023, identified 18 minerals of "high criticality" to the UK. A Foreign Affairs Select Committee report on critical minerals, published in December of that year, concluded that “the UK cannot afford to remain vulnerable in such strategically important supply chains.” A 2023 Ministry of Defence policy paper, “Critical Minerals Refresh: Ensuring Resilience in a Changing Global Environment,” identified China’s control of two-thirds of the 18 critical minerals—including 75% of rare earth deposits—as a strategic threat. As David Lammy made clear in a speech last year: “Look around the world. Countries are jostling to secure access to critical minerals, just as major powers once fought for control of oil.” »

THE “100-YEAR PARTNERSHIP” BETWEEN THE UNITED KINGDOM AND UKRAINE – AND THE COMPETITION BETWEEN GREAT BRITAIN AND THE UNITED STATES

Starmer’s 100-Year Partnership Declaration with Ukraine, while partly a PR stunt reiterating the “security guarantees” the UK provided to Ukraine over a year ago, in January 2024, also explicitly refers to British control over mineral mines. The declaration commits the UK and Ukraine to “developing a Ukrainian strategy on critical minerals and the necessary regulatory structures to support the maximization of benefits from Ukraine’s natural resources, through the possible establishment of a joint working group.” The aim is to give the British private sector the right to privatize Ukrainian state-owned mining assets. The project guiding this initiative is called SOERA (State Enterprise Reform in Ukraine), and is funded by USAID; the British Foreign Office is a minor partner.

According to the Canadian geopolitical risk consultancy SecDev, Russia is blocking British access. Its recently conquered territories in Ukraine contain half of the country's rare earth and manganese deposits, as well as more than 63% of its coal mines. Another pressing issue for Britain is the competition behind this US-UK cooperation. Britain's claims to be Ukraine's "preferred partner" in developing its critical minerals strategy are directly thwarted by Trump's pressure on Zelensky to cede the country's vast mineral resources as "compensation" for US support for Ukraine. Trump is demanding $500 billion in Ukrainian assets, according to the New York Times. As iPaper wrote: "Britain's century-old partnership is 'under threat from Trump.'" Meanwhile, the EU has also offered Ukraine a competing deal to secure its minerals. (2)

Faced with this competition, Britain is using its status as Ukraine's closest European ally as leverage to gain control of the mines and transport routes needed to bring Ukrainian minerals to global markets, according to Andriy Dovbenko, founder of UK-Ukraine TechExchange. (3)

BRITISH IMPERIALISM, AGAIN

Just as the 2003 invasion of Iraq was partly about control of oil, the 1950s Malaya campaign was partly about rubber, and support for apartheid South Africa was partly about gold and mineral exploitation, the war in Ukraine is partly about profits for Britain’s mining giants. These companies include Rio Tinto and Anglo-American, as well as Rothschild, which has $53 billion of investments in Ukraine and whose board member and former trade minister, Lord Sedwill, has been the chief adviser to Ukraine’s finance ministry since 2017. (4) The aim is to “champion London as the global capital of responsible finance for critical minerals,” using the City’s preeminence as a financial center, speculating on minerals as well as government debt. (5)

Britain's second objective in encouraging and prolonging the war is to increase its global exports of "combat-tested" weapons and extend its military influence over Ukraine. In addition to the 14 Challenger 2 tanks supplied to Ukraine, Britain has provided 63 Sea King helicopters, 6 Stormer armored personnel carriers, 20 Viking amphibious vehicles, 1,800 air defense missiles, 12,000 anti-tank weapons, 1,000 mine detectors, and 4,000 military uniforms, as well as one million rounds of ammunition. Arms sales have exceeded £3 billion, with an additional £7.8 billion promised.

OVERTOWN AND SECRET INVOLVEMENT OF THE UK

The UK is also leading the training of Ukrainian troops as part of Operation Interflex, which involves 1,050 British troops. By January 2025, 51,000 Ukrainian soldiers had been trained in Britain, which serves as a hub for the Baltic and Scandinavian countries, Canada, New Zealand, and the Netherlands to send troops to the UK to contribute to the training program. MI6 has also been extremely active in Ukraine, as confirmed by its head, Sir Richard Moore.(6) At the outbreak of war, British intelligence created a secret organization called Project Alchemy in an attempt to defeat Russia.(7) Collaborating with its French counterpart, the DGSE, to obtain crucial battlefield information, MI6 agents used their work for the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE) as cover. "THIS LUCRATIVE BUSINESS"

As expected, the stock market value of BAE Systems has almost tripled, and that of Rolls-Royce, a manufacturer of fighter jet engines and submarine reactors, has risen even more sharply. Babcock International and Sheffield Forgemaster have also benefited. The value of British and European arms companies has increased far more rapidly than that of the still-dominant US military-industrial complex. The colossal profits from war create strong pressures to maintain it.

Today, voices are being raised to free this lucrative sector from all constraints. Ninety-six Labour MPs and six peers have signed an open letter calling on financial firms to "get rid of reckless anti-defense rules that stand in the way of doing the right thing... There is no more ethical investment than giving the Ukrainian people all the support they can from their allies," the letter states. Banks, investors, and pension funds should consider arms manufacturers as "ethical" investments so that more funds are allocated to the industry to arm Ukraine and the UK.

To further boost the profits of arms companies, £2 billion will be dedicated to increasing the lending capacity of UK Export Finance to help finance overseas purchases of British military equipment – ​​a state subsidy for arms manufacturers.

BRITAIN IS TRYING TO PUSH THE UNITED STATES AND OTHER WESTERN COUNTRIES TO CONTINUE THE WAR

These two reasons explain why Britain is so actively involved on the ground in Ukraine. This is not limited to the fifty British special forces troops listed as serving in Ukraine in leaked Pentagon documents in 2023 [8]. It goes much further.

The 2023 "counter-offensive," planned in Britain and using Challenger 2 tanks for the first time, was followed by the invasion of Kursk a year later. According to independent journalist Kit Klarenberg, this was a British project in all but name, with Britain supplying most of the equipment, including Challengers—a first in history: British tanks were fighting on Russian soil. Jerome Starkey, the Sun's defense editor, welcomed it, calling Kursk a "humiliation" for Putin, but it proved as disastrous as the counteroffensive, costing thousands of lives.

By boasting about its role in the complacent British media and openly using British personnel to advise the Ukrainian military "on an unparalleled scale," Britain is trying to pressure other Western countries, particularly the United States, to continue the war under its leadership. It is currently attempting to exploit any divisions within the Trump administration to strengthen the hawks in his team, the Democrats, and the US deep state.

"THE MOST SPECTACULAR FAILURE OF BRITISH POST-WORLD WAR II STRATEGY..."

However, British plans to prevent Trump from ending the war are in trouble. Starmer and Macron's "peacekeeping" plan to deploy troops in Ukraine had to be softened after Russia warned that all British and French soldiers would be considered combatants and after the United States refused to provide a "backstop." The Times reported one defense expert as saying: "If the British appear to be ahead of their NATO allies, that could be counterproductive." Even under Biden, the United States had distanced itself from the Kursk invasion, a British attempt to prolong the war.

But despite its failures, Britain will not give up. A New York Times analysis suggests that if a rapprochement between Moscow and Washington were successful, it would represent the most spectacular failure yet of Britain's post-World War II strategy of using American military power and wealth for its own ends—a British-led Pax Americana, as Grayzone puts it. The stakes are high for British imperialism. The gains could include not only controlling Ukraine's minerals and securing a significant share of the postwar reconstruction pie, but also maintaining influence over the country's military, a role Britain plays in many other countries.

So it's war at all costs. Britain's imperialist traditions and current ambitions should not be underestimated.

Britain's ambitions extend beyond Ukraine to become the most important player in Central and Eastern Europe, having already surpassed its French and German rivals in the region. British relations with Poland, for example, have taken on increasing importance, as evidenced by a new military treaty between the United Kingdom and Poland, which provides for the British supply of Poland's newest air defense system. (9) Britain has also stationed six Eurofighter Typhoons in Poland to send "a clear signal of Britain's commitment to the region's security," according to the British Embassy in Warsaw. Poland has begun to supplant Germany as NATO's most important military center, with the largest land army in Europe.

Above all, Britain acts as a guardian of imperialism as a whole, drawing on its long military, diplomatic, and espionage experience as the world's leading imperialist power. With its economy dominated by the globalized parasitic interests of the City of London, Britain aims to protect these assets through its relentless warmongering, while benefiting directly from the increased risks that war entails. As John Neal, managing director of Lloyds of London, declared a year after the start of the war in Ukraine: "I must say this with caution, but a riskier world is a friendly world for insurers." (10)

Tony Blair declared in 1997: "Century after century, Britain's destiny has been to lead other nations. That destiny should not be part of our history. It should be part of our future... We are a leader of nations, or we are nothing." The strength of Britain's imperialist traditions and current ambitions should not be underestimated.

Simon Korner

https://www.legrandsoir.info/le-bellicisme-britannique-en-ukraine.html

TRANSLATION BY JULES LETAMBOUR

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YOURDEMOCRACY.NET RECORDS HISTORY AS IT SHOULD BE — NOT AS THE WESTERN MEDIA WRONGLY REPORTS IT.

         Gus Leonisky

         POLITICAL CARTOONIST SINCE 1951.

Ukraine’s Vladimir Zelensky has demanded that Russia agree to a full and unconditional ceasefire lasting at least 30 days starting May 12. Moscow has previously argued that such a truce would merely give Ukraine time to regroup its forces.

On Saturday, the leaders of the UK, France, Germany, and Poland met with Zelensky in Kiev as part of the so-called “coalition of the willing.” 

“After the conclusion of the summit in Kiev, we all spoke with @POTUS [US President Donald Trump]. It was a good conversation – positive and concrete. I am grateful to President Trump,” Zelensky wrote on X following the meeting. “We share a common view: an immediate, full, and unconditional ceasefire is needed for at least 30 days,” he added.

Zelensky said Kiev is ready to begin talks with Russia “in any format” once a full and unconditional 30-day ceasefire is in place. 

He warned that if Moscow refuses the truce, stronger sanctions should be imposed on Russia’s energy and banking sectors. Preparations are already underway for a 17th package of EU sanctions, which will be coordinated with measures from the UK, Norway, and US, Zelensky claimed.

Kiev has demanded an immediate 30-day ceasefire on numerous occasions over the past few months. Moscow has opposed the initiative, arguing that Ukraine would use the time to regroup its troops and restock weapons inventories. 

In an interview with ABC News on Friday, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said Ukraine “will continue their total mobilization, bringing new troops to the front line. They will use this period to train new military personnel and give rest to their existing ones. So why should we grant such an advantage to Ukraine?” 

He added that arms shipments from the West would also need to stop during any ceasefire. “Otherwise, it will be an advantage for Ukraine,” he said. 

Moscow has repeatedly stated its readiness to begin negotiations with Ukraine without any preconditions. In March, it agreed to a US-brokered 30-day partial ceasefire focused on halting strikes on energy infrastructure. However, according to the Russian military, Kiev repeatedly violated the truce.

Last week, Vladimir Putin announced a unilateral 72-hour Victory Day ceasefire, describing it as a humanitarian gesture to mark the 80th anniversary of the Soviet victory over Nazi Germany. He said the gesture could also serve as a catalyst for “the start of direct negotiations with Kiev without preconditions.” 

The initiative was dismissed by Zelensky as “a manipulation.” Kiev even intensified drone strikes on Russian territory during the pause.

https://www.rt.com/russia/617329-zelensky-talks-unconditional-ceasefire

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YOURDEMOCRACY.NET RECORDS HISTORY AS IT SHOULD BE — NOT AS THE WESTERN MEDIA WRONGLY REPORTS IT.

         Gus Leonisky

         POLITICAL CARTOONIST SINCE 1951.

Russia is used to Western pressure and is not concerned about new sanctions, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov has said.

He was commenting on a new round of sanctions recently imposed by the UK.

”We already know what we will do once the sanctions are announced and how we will minimize their effect,” Peskov told journalist Pavel Zarubin on Saturday. Russia has learned effective ways to counteract Western pressure, he said. “Therefore, scaring us with sanctions is pointless.”

On Friday, the British government announced what it called the “largest-ever” sanctions package against Russia, targeting its oil transportation network in order to deliver a blow to the country’s energy revenues.

The new measures blacklisted up to 100 oil tankers that the West claims are part of a Russian ‘shadow fleet’, older vessels operating outside Western insurance systems. Since the escalation of the Ukraine conflict over three years ago, successive British governments have introduced more than 2,000 sanctions on Russian individuals and entities.

Moscow has said the move will not harm Russia’s economy and will instead increase energy costs and inflation in Europe.

Earlier, US President Donald Trump called for an “unconditional ceasefire” between Moscow and Kiev, threatening punitive measures if the truce is not observed. “The US and its partners will impose further sanctions” if it is violated, he said.

In March, Russian President Vladimir Putin said that a total of 28,595 sanctions were imposed on Russian companies and individuals in recent years – more than the total number on all other countries combined. According to the president, the West sought to eliminate Russia as a competitor but its economy has only grown more resilient under pressure.

MAKE A DEAL PRONTO BEFORE THE SHIT HITS THE FAN.

NO NATO IN "UKRAINE" (WHAT'S LEFT OF IT)

THE DONBASS REPUBLICS ARE NOW BACK IN THE RUSSIAN FOLD — AS THEY USED TO BE PRIOR 1922. THE RUSSIANS WON'T ABANDON THESE AGAIN.

THESE WILL ALSO INCLUDE ODESSA, KHERSON AND KHARKIV.....

CRIMEA IS RUSSIAN — AS IT USED TO BE PRIOR 1954

TRANSNISTRIA WILL BE PART OF THE RUSSIAN FEDERATION.

A MEMORANDUM OF NON-AGGRESSION BETWEEN RUSSIA AND THE USA.

EASY.

THE WEST KNOWS IT.

READ FROM TOP.

YOURDEMOCRACY.NET RECORDS HISTORY AS IT SHOULD BE — NOT AS THE WESTERN MEDIA WRONGLY REPORTS IT.

         Gus Leonisky

         POLITICAL CARTOONIST SINCE 1951.

SEE ALSO:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DyKbcx8TUQU

GUSNOTE: THE TRICK COULD BE THAT ONCE A CEASEFIRE IS AGREED UPON, THEN ONE (EU/UK/US/ZELENSKYYYY) CAN DECLARE THAT UKRAINE IS NOT AT WAR AND TECHNICALLY JOINS NATO... DOCUMENTS ARE READYYYYYYYY..... WINK WINK NUDGE NUDGE....