Asked by
To ask His Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of
the impact of the United Kingdom’s sanctions on Russia’s
operational capabilities against Ukraine.
The Minister of State, Foreign, Commonwealth and Development
Office () (Con)
My Lords, Russia is struggling militarily and is isolated
internationally. It faces enormous replenishment challenges
following major equipment losses and high rates of munition
expenditure. The United Kingdom and its partners are weakening
Russia’s military by sanctioning key defence organisations and
banning the export of critical technologies. Our designations of
individuals and military entities undermines Russia’s war effort,
addressing alleged war crimes. We will continue to hold Mr Putin
to account and stand up for freedom and human rights.
(CB)
My Lords, I thank the Minister for answering the Question,
although I am not sure that the Ukrainians feel as confident as
he is that the Russians are hampered by the sanctions. Government
and Select Committee reports stress that sanctions are effective
if they have clear objectives, well-defined demands and an exit
strategy. Is His Majesty’s Government following that wise
advice?
(Con)
My Lords, our sanctions policy, first and foremost, is very much
focused on addressing all the issues that I have already outlined
and, of course, reflects the very points that the noble and
gallant Lord raised. In this regard, we are having an impact on
the Russian military capability and on the Russian economy. He
mentioned the Ukrainian perspective; we are working hand in glove
with the Ukrainians and are in regular contact with them. Only
last week, I attended a G7 meeting virtually, where we were
looking at energy issues, focusing on Ukrainian need, and
Ukrainian Foreign Minister Kuleba was also present.
(Con)
My Lords, to what extent are sanctions against Russia being
evaded and what can we do to prevent that?
(Con)
My Lords, the best way to ensure that sanctions are working
effectively, as I have said every time that we issue a sanction
on any individual or organisation, is to ensure that it is done
in co-ordination with our key partners. That includes working
very much together with the United States, Canada and the
European Union. It is also about ensuring that where we see an
issue of circumvention being highlighted, for example, we work
with key partners such as the G7, and I assure my noble friend
that we are doing so.
(Lab)
My Lords, can I take that a little further? Enforcement is
absolutely key, so can the Minister assure us that we have the
capability, working with our allies, to ensure proper enforcement
of sanctions? Can he also tell us what message he believes that
it sends to Ukraine and our allies when our own Treasury helped
one of Putin’s most notorious warmongers to evade sanctions?
(Con)
My Lords, I will start with the noble Lord’s second point,
without going into the specifics of the case. He will be aware
that there is a right to legal redress, as is right in our own
sanctions policy as opposed to those imposed by other countries
on our parliamentarians. My noble friend Lady Penn also dealt
with that issue and His Majesty’s Treasury is very much seized
with it. We will continue to work with international partners,
particularly the G7, to ensure the effective implementation of
sanctions because there are undoubtedly ways of overcoming them.
There will be new and novel ways to circumvent every sanction
imposed and we need to ensure, in a co-ordinated fashion, that we
address those.
(LD)
My Lords, as the Minister knows, we have supported this
additional capability and the sanctions, but he also knows of my
concerns that they are being offset. Regrettably, Russia is not
as isolated as the Minister asserted earlier. I hope he will
agree that after what we thought was an extremely successful
state visit by the President of South Africa, it was troubling to
see the red carpet laid out recently in Pretoria for Sergei
Lavrov. When the Foreign Minister of South Africa was asked if
she would repeat that country’s position of calling for a
withdrawal by Russia from Ukraine, she said that it was
simplistic and infantile. Will the Minister please agree that the
joint naval exercises between South Africa, China and Russia on
24 February are not in our strategic interests, and are we making
that message clear?
(Con)
My Lords, the assessment of the Foreign Minister of South Africa
was not something I agree with. We are of course watching the
situation closely and I agree with the assessment of the noble
Lord. When you see one of our key partners in Africa, which is
also a member of the Commonwealth, carrying out such exercises
and welcoming the Russian Foreign Minister, that is a cause for
concern. I assure the noble Lord that we have made our views
clear.
(CB)
My Lords, does the Minister not agree that action to implement
sanctions successfully has to be collective and not separate?
What exists in the way of collective machinery among the main
partners in those sanctions to ensure that the large numbers of
people working in Moscow, Beijing and Tehran to evade such
sanctions do not succeed?
(Con)
My Lords, I agree. That is why, as I have said, we are working in
close co-ordination with our key partners. Where we see
circumvention we are acting in a co-ordinated fashion, including
through the G7, to ensure that those issues can be addressed.
Sanctions are there for a reason: to prevent certain individuals
and organisations continuing their work, by penalising them quite
directly. It is our job as part of British diplomacy, along with
our key partners, to ensure that this message is heard around the
world.
(Con)
My Lords, sometimes one of the unintended consequences of
sanctions is that they affect opposition movements and civil
society in-country. Is my noble friend the Minister aware of any
of those unintended consequences, and how has the sanctions
regime been adjusted to avoid them?
(Con)
My noble friend is correct to say that, when we impose sanctions,
our argument or challenge is not with the ordinary citizens of
countries. That is why we have worked with international
partners. For example, there is a specific humanitarian carve-out
on sanctions imposed internationally which allows essential
humanitarian aid to be provided.
(LD)
My Lords, now that Ukraine is to receive tanks, it is seeking
further fighter jets. What is His Majesty’s Government’s attitude
to that request?
(Con)
My Lords, I will not go into specifics, but the noble Lord will
be aware that we work in a very co-ordinated fashion. We work
very closely with the Ukrainian Government to ensure that their
military requests and priorities are not only understood but that
we work in co-ordination to best support them. Indeed, the UK was
the first to offer tanks, which resulted in other countries
following suit. It is important that we act in a co-ordinated
manner.
(CB)
My Lords, the list of individuals and entities currently
sanctioned stands at 3,778 worldwide. It grows every year, but we
are never told who is removed from it. Will the Minister give us
the assurance that the Government will publish a list of those
who have been removed from sanctions since 2001, so that the
House is better able to assess the efficacy of the sanctions
regime in meeting its objectives?
(Con)
My Lords, the noble Lord will recall that, when we were taking
through the sanctions and anti-money laundering legislation, part
of that was to ensure a proper and structured review by the
Government of those sanctioned. That is part of our legislative
process. Providing details of every single individual or
organisation would create more work for the Government than
necessary, and the cost would be uneconomical. However, within
our sanctions policy, when someone or an organisation first has a
sanction imposed, there is a way for them to appeal and challenge
it. Those sanctions are reviewed on a regular basis.
(CB)
My Lords, notwithstanding what the noble Lord has been able to
tell us about the efficacy of sanctions impacting Russian GDP,
will he return to the question of circumvention which has been
raised with him? In particular, he will have noted that Chinese
currency is being used to break regulations and sanctions on
currency rules. He will have also seen the sale of Shahed
missiles from Iran to Russia, which are being used to pummel and
pound the infrastructure in Ukraine, terrorising the people
there. How are we using Magnitsky sanctions to further identify
those who broker such deals?
(Con)
My Lords, there is a series of sanctions. The noble Lord spoke of
the Magnitsky sanctions. We have exercised that type of sanction,
particularly where we see human rights abuses taking place. That
will continue as part of what we seek to do. On the issue of
circumvention, he specifically raised how currencies are used,
and the noble Lord, Lord Purvis, has also raised this. It is
important that we use our good offices and work with key markets
to ensure that it is made clear that circumvention is an abuse of
laws of countries. The sanctions are imposed for a reason—to
ensure, in the case of Ukraine, that those responsible for this
illegal war are held to account.
