Asked by: Tanmanjeet Singh Dhesi (Labour - Slough)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Minister of State, Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office, whether his Department is taking steps with counterparts in Azerbaijan to track the final destinations of UK exported vehicles.
Answered by Anne-Marie Trevelyan - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
The UK has banned the direct export of thousands of goods to Russia, including luxury vehicles. UK Regulations also prohibit the circumvention of our sanctions. We have been clear to UK business that they need to satisfy themselves that their goods will not end up in Russia. With EU and US partners, we are engaging a range of third countries to reduce the risk of sanctioned goods reaching Russia.
Asked by: Robert Buckland (Conservative - South Swindon)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Minister of State, Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office, what support his Department is providing to partners in East Africa to tackle Kremlin-backed online disinformation campaigns.
Answered by Andrew Mitchell - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office) (Minister for Development)
The UK has consistently made clear that malign activity by Russia and its proxies, including disinformation campaigns, exploits and exacerbates instability in sub-Saharan Africa. We draw on a range of levers to strengthen security and stability in sub-Saharan Africa. HMG is working with regional and international partners to coordinate activity to counter Russian disinformation and broader foreign information manipulation and interference (FIMI) targeting African audiences. We also support our African partners through strategic security and defence relationships with countries such as Kenya, Nigeria and Ghana, coordinating closely with likeminded states and international organisations.
Asked by: Lord Alton of Liverpool (Crossbench - Life peer)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government, following the decision of the General Assembly of the United Nations to establish a Register of Damages for the Crime of Aggression in Ukraine, what assessment they have made of the categories of claim included; how entries to the Register are to be made; and how the distribution of damages will be determined and audited to deter corruption.
Answered by Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
The UK is committed to ensuring Russia pays for its unprovoked war in Ukraine, including in our role as an inaugural member and Chair of the Conference of Parties of the Register of Damage. The Register is an important step in the pursuit of justice and ensuring those responsible are held to account. The Member States of the Register are expected to approve the list of claims categories and the process for submitting claims at the end of March 2024. The Register will have no adjudication functions with respect to claims, including determination of responsibility and allocation of any payments.
Asked by: Lord Alton of Liverpool (Crossbench - Life peer)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the wide range of estimates for the reconstruction of Ukraine; what action they have taken to confiscate Russian assets to contribute to reconstruction costs; and what estimate they have made of the value of those assets.
Answered by Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
As the Government has made very clear in parliament and through collective statements at the G7, Russia should pay for the damage it has caused. The World Bank calculates total recovery and reconstruction needs at $486 billion. The UK will remain a credible partner on this by assuring ourselves of the safety, robustness and legality of any proposal to make use of Russian assets to support Ukraine. Since the Russian invasion of Ukraine between February 2022 and October 2023, cumulatively £22.7 billion of Russian assets have been reported frozen due to UK financial sanctions regulations.
Asked by: Fabian Hamilton (Labour - Leeds North East)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Minister of State, Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office, if he will make an assessment of the potential implications for his policies of recent comments by the President Putin on the potential placement of Russian forces on the Russian-Finnish border.
Answered by Leo Docherty - Minister of State (Ministry of Defence) (Minister for the Armed Forces)
President Putin's comments on the potential placement of Russian forces on the Russian-Finnish border are intended to intimidate Finland and its NATO allies. Such comments will not achieve their intended effect; we will continue to support Ukraine in its fight against Russia's invasion. The UK strongly welcomes both Finland and Sweden joining NATO, recognises the alliance is stronger following their accession, and supports NATO's open door policy.
Asked by: Stephen Doughty (Labour (Co-op) - Cardiff South and Penarth)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Minister of State, Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office, what plans he has to (a) make an assessment of the adequacy of the Navalny list and (b) review further sanctions on Russia.
Answered by Anne-Marie Trevelyan - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
The United Kingdom consistently condemned Mr Navalny's politically motivated sentencing, called for his immediate and unconditional release and expressed our grave concern for his welfare.
Over 2020 and 2021, the UK sanctioned 13 individuals and one entity responsible for his poisoning. The UK has also sanctioned six individuals heading up the penal colony where Alexei Navalny died after years of mistreatment by the Russian authorities on 21 February 2024. Whilst we do not comment on potential future designations, the UK has designated the majority of individuals on both the original Navalny 35 list, and the wider Anti-Corruption Foundation list.
The UK remains steadfast in our support to Ukraine. Together with our international partners, we have implemented the most severe package of sanctions ever imposed on a major economy. The UK alone has sanctioned 2,000 individuals and entities under the Russia sanctions regime. Most recently, on 22 February a new package of over 50 UK designations targeted Russia's efforts to circumvent sanctions on its war machine and major revenue sources, demonstrating the UK's unwavering support for Ukraine for as long as it takes.
Asked by: Stephen Doughty (Labour (Co-op) - Cardiff South and Penarth)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Minister of State, Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office, how many UK nationals are detained in (a) Russia and (b) Belarus; and what consular support is provided to them.
Answered by Leo Docherty - Minister of State (Ministry of Defence) (Minister for the Armed Forces)
The FCDO is currently aware of fewer than 5 British nationals detained in Russia, and are providing consular assistance. According to our records, there are currently no British nationals detained in Belarus. However, British nationals are not obliged to inform the FCDO of their detention. We provide tailored consular assistance in line with our public guidance, found on Gov.uk (https://www.gov.uk/guidance/arrested-or-detained-abroad), which sets out the support British nationals can expect to receive. This can include meeting with the detainee; offering support to their family; providing a list of English-speaking lawyers and basic information about the local system in the form of our local prisoner pack; facilitating the transfer of funds for prison comforts; and raising concerns with the local authorities where the detainee is not treated in line with internationally-accepted standards.
Asked by: Stephen Doughty (Labour (Co-op) - Cardiff South and Penarth)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Minister of State, Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office, what steps his Department is taking to close loopholes in the sanctions regime against the Russian Federation.
Answered by Anne-Marie Trevelyan - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
We continue to use sanctions to bear down on Russia's illegal war in Ukraine. Last month, a new package of over 50 UK designations targeted Russia's efforts to circumvent sanctions on its war machine and major revenue sources. Earlier this month, we delivered new legislation to bring about a coordinated ban on Russian diamond exports. With partners, we have strengthened the Oil Price Cap (OPC) mechanism and added new items to the Common High Priority (CHP) list. We are preparing to bolster our existing powers to target malign Russian shipping activity. We continue to strengthen sanctions enforcement, with the creation of the Office for Trade Sanctions Implementation (OTSI) and a new unit within the Office of Financial Sanctions Implementation (OFSI) to licence and enforce the OPC.
Asked by: Tanmanjeet Singh Dhesi (Labour - Slough)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what steps he is taking with Cabinet colleagues to de-escalate nuclear rhetoric in the context of the Ukraine war.
Answered by James Heappey
The Russia Ukraine war is a very serious situation but is not, and should not become, a nuclear crisis. Russia’s nuclear rhetoric is unhelpful and the UK, along with our allies and partners continues to call on Russia to de-escalate.
Asked by: Lord Alton of Liverpool (Crossbench - Life peer)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government whether they intend to impose further sanctions on North Korean officials and entities under the Global Human Rights Sanctions Regulations 2020, including those who have been involved in the supply of weapons to Russia.
Answered by Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
The UK remains concerned by the appalling human rights situation in the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK), as I [Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon] made clear during the House of Lords Debate on 14 December 2023. The Global Human Rights sanctions regime gives the UK a powerful tool that we can use to tackle human rights violations and abuses and underpins the UK's role as a force for good in global affairs, and we continue to keep further listings under review. On 22 February, the UK sanctioned five individuals and entities involved in DPRK-Russia weapons transfers. The DPRK is already subject to a robust sanctions regime and the UK will continue to work with our partners to hold the DPRK to account for supporting Russia's illegal war in Ukraine.