Commons Sense

House of Commons · Ministers' Questions

Sanctions: Russia and Belarus

Tuesday 13 June 2023 · 3 questions

Summarised by AI from the official record, so it can contain mistakes.

Read the full transcript on Parliament.uk

At a glance

Answered 0 Partly answered 3 Not answered 0

Key points

  • Sanctions have isolated Russia and Belarus from western financial markets and services, undermining their long-term growth and restricting Russia's military capabilities.
  • The import of aluminium from Belarus and Russia attracts an additional duty of 35 percentage points, and the import of iron and steel products from Russia is prohibited.
  • British businesses have shown willingness to take financial pain and withdraw from Russian markets beyond what was required by sanctions.

Topics (select to filter)

Questions & Answers

Q1 Mark Eastwood
Foreign Affairs
Context

There has been a growing concern about the effectiveness of sanctions against Russia and Belarus in economic terms, as well as their impact on businesses.

Question

What assessment do you have of the impact of sanctions on (a) Russia and (b) Belarus? The government's programme fails to recognise the severe implications for organisations across Q15. I am concerned about this oversight.

Answer from Anne-Marie Trevelyan

Sanctions have isolated Russia and Belarus from western financial markets and services, undermining their long-term growth, starving Russia's military of key western components and technology and restricting Russia's ability to fight a modern war. The Government remain committed to increasing pressure on Russia and Belarus and have recently introduced further sanctions targeting Putin and Lukashenko's regimes.

Partly answered

Not addressed: The specific economic impact on businesses was not addressed, focusing more on general assessments of sanctions' effectiveness.

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Q2 Mark Eastwood
Brexit Business & Trade
Context

A local business, Dewsbury-based Alunet, is struggling due to unfair competition and sanction circumvention by its former supplier in Belarus. The company's survival is at stake.

Question

Dewsbury-based Alunet, a supplier of aluminium doors and windows, is being crippled due to unfair competition and sanction circumvention by its Belarus-based former supplier. To help save a £20 million business in my constituency, may I request that my right hon. Friend urgently looks to impose increased tariffs on aluminium products from both Russia and Belarus?

Answer from Anne-Marie Trevelyan

The import of aluminium originating from Belarus and Russia attracts an additional duty already of 35 percentage points, which we brought in last year. The import of iron and steel products and of some articles of aluminium from Russia is prohibited. The import of iron and steel products from Belarus is also prohibited. Of course, we keep our sanctions under review, as the Foreign Secretary has said.

Partly answered

Not addressed: The specific request for increased tariffs was not directly addressed; instead, existing duties were mentioned.

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Q3 Chris Bryant Lab Rhondda and Ogmore
Ukraine Foreign Affairs
Context

A new Russian law requires all businesses, including foreign ones with a footprint in the country, to support the war effort. This raises concerns about British companies' complicity.

Question

Last year, the Russian Government introduced a new law that requires all businesses, including foreign businesses that have any footprint in the Russian Federation, to assist in the war in Ukraine. That means that any British businesses that are still doing business in Russia are complicit in the war crimes that Russia is perpetrating against the Ukrainian people. Will the Minister make it absolutely clear that all British businesses should completely and utterly desist from business in Russia immediately?

Answer from Anne-Marie Trevelyan

One of the extraordinary things we saw only last year when the war broke out was the positive attitude of British businesses and their willingness to take financial pain immediately. They pulled themselves away, not only where we imposed sanctions and prohibitions but beyond that, from Russian markets and activity.

Partly answered

Not addressed: The specific directive was not provided; instead, past actions were highlighted.

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