Economic pressure on Russia having effect, must be strengthened – Starmer

The UK Prime Minister made the remarks during a panel discussion following the opening of the European Political Community Summit on Thursday in Copenhagen, a Ukrinform correspondent reports.

“We must keep up the pressure on Putin. The economic pressure is having an effect, and we need to continue that pressure through further sanctions, bearing down on energy in particular and on the shadow fleet,” Starmer said.

He stressed that Russia’s aggression threatens not only Ukraine’s sovereignty but also “the values and freedoms of all Europeans,” making the fight against the Kremlin a collective effort. Starmer also highlighted the importance of strengthening NATO, mentioning the deployment of British aircraft to Poland to bolster air defenses and allied actions against drone attacks in Copenhagen.

“We’ve seen in recent weeks the appetite Putin has to not only rain down on Ukraine but also to take action and to interfere right across Europe in many different ways — whether it’s in relation to our airspace, whether it’s cyber or other attacks,” he emphasized.

Starmer underscored the importance of continued support for Ukraine:

“That means putting Ukraine in the strongest possible position, and that then means more air defenses, more long-range [weapons], and anti-drone attacks, and of course the work that we’re doing on the reperations loan in relation to the Russian assets,” the British Prime Minister stated.

As Ukrinform reported, according to S&P Global Market Intelligence, Russia’s shadow fleet accounts for approximately 17% of all oil tankers currently in operation worldwide.

Photo: Office of the President of Ukraine