UK issues sanctions exemptions for diesel, jet fuel and some LNG services linked to Russian energy
The Facts
- The UK has created an exemption allowing imports of diesel and jet fuel that were refined in third countries from Russian crude oil.
- The fuel exemption took effect on Wednesday, May 20, and is of indefinite duration but subject to periodic review or possible amendment.
- The licence also permits certain services related to importing the covered fuel products, and includes record-keeping requirements for companies.
- Separately, the UK issued a time-limited licence covering maritime transportation of Russian liquefied natural gas and related services.
- The government and multiple reports tied the exemptions to fuel supply and price pressures linked to the Iran conflict and disruption around the Strait of Hormuz.
- The policy affects sectors and consumers exposed to fuel costs, including airlines and households, because diesel and jet fuel prices had been rising.
- The move has drawn political criticism because the UK has maintained broader sanctions on Russia since its invasion of Ukraine, and ministers say the carve-outs do not amount to lifting those wider sanctions.
Context
What exactly did the UK change?
The UK issued a general trade licence that allows diesel and jet fuel made from Russian crude to be imported if the crude was processed in a third country, and it also allows certain related services Reuters,gov.uk. In a separate step, it issued a temporary licence for maritime transportation of Russian LNG and related services Reuters,Kyiv Independent.
Why did the government say it made these exemptions?
Ministers said the change was intended to protect fuel supply and consumers as prices rose during disruption linked to the Iran conflict and the Strait of Hormuz London South East,BBC. Reuters also reported the carve-out was meant to help shore up supply at home Reuters.
Is this a permanent rollback of UK sanctions on Russia?
The diesel and jet fuel licence is indefinite but subject to periodic review and can be amended or revoked, according to government notices and reporting Reuters,BBC,Al Jazeera Online. The LNG licence is explicitly time-limited, running until January 1 next year according to Reuters Reuters.
Where Left and Right agree, and where they split
- Where Left and Right agree
- Rising diesel and jet fuel costs created enough pressure on households and exposed sectors that the UK carved out a limited channel for Russian-linked energy products while keeping broader sanctions on Russia formally in place.
- Where Left and Right split
- Less a disagreement than a question of emphasis: the carve-outs as evidence that energy shocks strain sanctions policy, versus the carve-outs as a tightly bounded consumer-protection measure designed to preserve the wider sanctions regime.
How left and right read it
The most important facts are that the UK created an indefinite exemption for diesel and jet fuel refined from Russian crude, while also issuing a separate licence for maritime transportation of Russian liquefied natural gas, both tied to fuel supply and price pressures. That matters because rising fuel costs hit households and other exposed sectors directly, but the carve-outs also underscore how energy shocks can strain sanctions policy even when broader sanctions formally remain in place.
The key fact is that the UK made a targeted exemption for diesel and jet fuel, plus certain related services, in response to supply and price pressures that were hitting airlines and households. Because the exemption is paired with record-keeping requirements and periodic review, it reads less like a wholesale retreat from sanctions than a constrained effort to protect consumers while preserving the broader sanctions regime.
The receipts — 56 sources
Wire services (8)
Independent coverage (48)
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