Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what steps he is taking to identify, detain and seize vessels involved in transporting Russian oil in circumvention of international sanctions, including those operating as part of the so‑called shadow fleet; and what discussions his Department is holding with European partners on overcoming the legal and political barriers to the release of frozen Russian state assets held in Europe for use in support of Ukraine.

In response to the first question, I refer the Hon Member to the answers provided on 10 April in response to Question 123071, and on 28 January in response to Question 106997. In response to the second question, the UK and wider G7 countries have committed to ensuring that Russian sovereign assets remain immobilised across our jurisdictions until Russia ceases its war of aggression and pays for the damage it has caused to Ukraine. We will continue to work with international partners to ensure Ukraine gets the support it needs.