Putin cronies 'face ban on entering UK' as huge new Russian sanctions to be announced

Putin-linked cronies and oligarchs bankrolling the Kremlin's war machine face being excluded from entering the UK under new measures announced today.

The Home Office said those who could be barred include anyone giving "significant support" to Moscow or who owe their wealth to the Russian state. Security minister Dan Yarvis vowed: “Border security is national security, and we will use all the tools at our disposal to protect our country against the threat from Russia.

“The measures announced today slam the door shut to the oligarchs who have enriched themselves at the expense of the Russian people whilst bankrolling this illegal and unjustifiable war. My message to Putin’s friends in Moscow is simple: you are not welcome in the UK.”

David Lammy will also announce today a huge raft of sanctions targeting Russia to mark the third anniversary of its brutal invasion of Ukraine. The Foreign Secretary promised at the weekend it would be "the largest package of sanctions against Russia since the early days of the war".

It comes as Keir Starmer prepares to jet to Washington DC this week for his first face-to-face talks with Donald Trump since he returned to the Oval office. The Kremlin's bloody invasion of Ukraine is expected to be at the top of the agenda for the high-stakes meeting.

Speaking on Sunday, Mr Starmer insisted talks about ending the war must not take place without Ukraine at the table after the US and Russia kick-started negotiations without Kyiv. The PM said first-hand experience of visiting the war-torn country had made him "more determined to stand up for Ukraine".

Speaking at the Scottish Labour conference in Glasgow, he said: "Nobody wants the bloodshed to continue, least of all the Ukrainians. But after everything that they have suffered, after everything they have fought for, there can be no discussion about Ukraine without Ukraine, and the people of Ukraine must have a long-term, secure future."

Cabinet Minister Bridget Phillipson also declined to be drawn on whether the PM will set out a timeline for the UK to reach 2.5% of defence spending this week.

But with Mr Trump pushing for NATO allies to hike spending, she told the BBC's Sunday with Laura Kuenssberg: "We know we've got to increase defence spending. We know that as a nation, alongside our European allies, we have got to play a bigger role in defence."

It also follows a war of words between the US President and Ukrainian leader Volodymyr Zelensky, who Mr Trump bizarrely branded a "dictator" last week. At a rally at the weekend Mr Trump moaned it was not "fair" that US tax dollars were paying for Ukraine's defence - vowing to "get our money back."

The US President also repeated his claim Putin would not have invaded Ukraine if he'd been in the White House at the time. And he seethed: "It affects Europe... It doesn't affect us."

Mr Trump told his supporters he would claw back hundreds of billions in dollars. "There was no way Russia was going to go in" if he had been President, he claimed. "And they went in for a lot of reasons."

He said: "I'm dealing with President Zelensky, I'm dealing with President Putin. Europe gave $100m. America gave $350m. I'm trying to get the money back. $350, because we had a stupid administration."