The country is accused of helping Moscow pay for the war with Ukraine, as it imports refined oil from countries such as India, China and Turkey, but whose origin is Russia.
The United Kingdom has been accused of “helping Russia pay for the war against Ukraine” by continuing to import refined oil from countries that process Russian fossil fuels, according to “The Guardian” newspaper.
Government data shows that these imports from India, China and Turkey rose by around €2.56 billion (£2.2 billion) in 2023. The problem raised is that Russia is the largest supplier of crude oil to these countries.
It should be remembered that the United Kingdom banned, on December 5, 2022, imports of all petroleum products to Russia, after the allies promised to divest from Russian oil and gas.
However, for the country, as long as Russian oil is refined in another country it is no longer considered as coming from Russia, which allows it to escape the trade ban. As a result, Russian oil is now being sold to countries allied with the Kremlin to be processed and then exported to the United Kingdom.
The numbers referring to the entry of refined oil into the country from India have increased drastically since the invasion of Ukraine in 2022. In 2021, the United Kingdom imported 468 million euros of oil and, in 2023, this value rose to 1.75 billion euros. euros.
China’s oil imports have increased more than 20 times since 2021, rising from 35.1 million euros in 2021 to 772.8 million in 2023. Imports from Turkey were no exception and also registered an increase during this period. period, reaching, in 2023, 70.18 million euros.
