The UK has been accused of helping Moscow “pay for its war” in Ukraine by importing record amounts of refined oil from countries processing Russian fossil fuels.
British imports of refined oil from India, China and Turkey - which Russia exports crude oil to - amounted to £2.2bn in 2023, up from £434.2m in 2021, according to environmental news website Desmog.
Lela Stanley, a senior investigator at Global Witness, said: “Millions of barrels of fuel made from Russian oil continue to pour into the UK. Make no mistake: until the government closes this loophole, Britain is helping Russia pay for its war on Ukraine.”
It comes as US president Joe Biden said he would sign the bill into law immediately and America would start sending weapons to Kyiv this week.
“I will sign this bill into law and address the American people as soon as it reaches my desk tomorrow so we can begin sending weapons and equipment to Ukraine this week,” he said.
The bill included £49bn in military aid for Ukraine, which the Pentagon says can start being delivered to the war-torn nation within days. President Joe Biden is expected to sign the legislation into law on Wednesday.