Foreign Office to act over sanction-busting by Russian allies after dramatic plea from Ukraine’s first lady
Support trulyindependent journalismFind out moreCloseOur mission is to deliver unbiased, fact-based reporting that holds power to account and exposes the truth.Whether $5 or $50, every contribution counts.Support us to deliver journalism without an agenda.Louise ThomasEditorThe government is reviewing its sanctions on Russia after a dramatic intervention from Ukraine’s first lady Olena Zelenska condemning loopholes that allow Moscow to fund its invasion.The Foreign Office has expressed its fury over sanctions-busting efforts by Russian allies to use a third country to continue trading with Moscow despite the hefty economic measures imposed since Russian president Vladimir Putin launched his invasion. The government is weighing how it can act and hopes to move imminently, The Independent can reveal.Speaking exclusively to Independent TV from the heart of Kyiv’s presidential compound, Mrs Zelenska has called for an urgent crackdown on such trade to strangle Moscow’s funds – otherwise, its invasion risks dragging on “endlessly”.Watch the full interview hereTo combat Putin’s regime the world must impose hefty sanctions, and “terminate the possibility of circumventing these sanctions,” Mrs Zelenska said.The foreign secretary, James Cleverly, immediately backed the first lady’s call. A spokesman for Mr Cleverly said the assessment the government has “echoes the frustrations the first lady has expressed about the use of third countries to circumvent sanctions”.He added: “Not only is her a view a position we ourselves have already taken, we are right now working quickly but carefully to make the use of a third country as a ‘cut out’ far more difficult or indeed to try and stop it altogether.”Mrs Zelenska thanked Ukraine’s partners for supporting the Ukrainian military in its fight against Russia, but said some nations were now undermining that effort. “There are countries that simply underestimate the threat from Russia who think that it is far from them. When there is such a powerful terrorist in the world, no one can feel completely safe,” she said in the rare interview.“Some countries continue to conduct trade with [Russia] through third countries and think that this is acceptable because it is important for their business… I believe that this is simply and critically wrong.”“Resources are being spent on this [war]. But resources will be spent endlessly until Russia’s ability to wage war is stopped,” she added.The full interview is now available to watch on independent.tv and your smart TV .Mrs Zelenska did not specify which countries in particular were behind such deals, but officials in the UK elsewhere have spoken about regions such as central Asia and the Middle East. And there has been outreach towards countries like Turkey, Kazakhstan and Armenia to reduce the scope of third-country trade. Mrs Zelenska, right, being interviewed by Bel Trew More
