UK to supply uranium to Ukraine, ramp up sanctions on Russia: Starmer

The United Kingdom will supply enriched uranium to Ukraine for its nuclear power stations and impose fresh sanctions against Russia, Prime Minister Keir Starmer said ahead of a G7 summit session on Tuesday.In an official government release on Monday, Starmer’s office said the UK is stepping up support for Ukraine amid Russia’s ongoing military actions.Starmer condemned Russia’s ‘barbaric strikes’ on Ukraine and said the UK was ‘stepping up’ by ‘choking off the revenues that fuel Putin’s war and powering Ukraine through the winters ahead’.It PM office said the agreement includes a major energy deal to power Ukraine for the next two years through the supply of UK nuclear fuel, adding that this would also support hundreds of British jobs in the North West of England. The release said action against Russia’s ‘shadow fleet’ formed part of wider pressure measures, referencing a military operation to intercept the SMYRTOS vessel in the early hours of Sunday.Starmer was quoted saying, “We will stand with Ukraine for as long as it takes and this announcement reinforces that. Putin should roll back his tanks, end his barbaric strikes, and come to the negotiating table.”Under the agreement, the UK will help power Ukraine’s nuclear plants for the next two years with £210 million of UK Export Finance support, enabling UK-based Urenco to supply enriched uranium to Ukraine’s state nuclear operator Energoatom. The deal was finalised between Starmer and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy during their meeting at Downing Street last week.The agreement is central to Ukraine’s energy security, with Energoatom accounting for more than 50 per cent of the country’s electricity supply.The package also supports UK industry, with more than a third of the uranium supply expected to originate from Urenco’s processing plant in North West England. The company employs over 650 people in the UK, while its Chester facility supports more than 4,500 jobs across the wider supply chain.