Putin is plunging world’s poorest into further ‘despair’, says UK's Cleverly

Russian leader intends to 'hold the world’s vulnerable hostage', says foreign secretary

Britain's Foreign Secretary James Cleverly arrives in Downing Street to attend a Cabinet meeting in London. AP

The British foreign secretary has said that Russian President Vladimir Putin is plunging the world’s poorest “further into despair” as he urges international allies to support his “weaponisation” of energy and food.

During a meeting of Group of Seven foreign ministers in Germany, James Cleverly is set to stress the need to work together in the face of economic insecurity driven by Moscow’s war on its neighbour Ukraine.

Mr Cleverly will accuse the Russian president of exploiting a programme to export grain from Ukraine to low-income countries around the globe – claiming this shows his goal of holding “the world’s vulnerable hostage”, the Foreign Office said.

The ministers are also expected to discuss the protests in Iran, stability in the Indo-Pacific region and the role of China on the global stage.

Before the meeting in Munster on Thursday, the foreign secretary will call for joint action to curb reliance on Russian energy at the Berlin Process Summit on the Western Balkans.

“While we are steadfast in our support for Ukraine, we must not forget that the impacts of Russia’s aggression, interference and hostility extend across the world," said Mr Cleverly.

Ukraine war latest - in pictures

Smoke rises on the outskirts of the city during a Russian missile attack in Kyiv. Reuters

Workers surround the Monument to the Heroes of the Heavenly Hundred with sandbags against damage from shelling in Mykolaiv. EPA

Russian President Vladimir Putin welcomes Azerbaijan President Ilham Aliyev for talks before a meeting between the Russian president and the leaders of Armenia and Azerbaijan in the Black Sea resort city of Sochi, Russia. AFP

People take water from a water pump in Kyiv. EPA

A woman walks past a damaged building in the town of Nova Kakhovka. Reuters

A woman outside her home, which was destroyed during battles at the start of the conflict, in Yahidne, Chernihiv. Getty Images

People shelter inside a subway station during a Russian missile attack in Kyiv. Reuters

Firefighters at the site of a drone attack in Kyiv, Ukraine. AP

A woman walks past the site of a Russian missile strike in the southern Ukrainian city of Mykolaiv. Reuters

Rescuer workers at a building destroyed in an attack in Mykolaiv. Reuters

Parts of a drone lie on a street in Kyiv. Reuters

A drone flies over the Ukrainian capital during an attack. AFP

Ukrainian servicemen tow a captured Russian armoured vehicle in Rudneve village, Kharkiv. EPA

A partially destroyed residential building in Saltivka, in Kharkiv. AP

Ukrainian servicemen fire a captured Russian howitzer on a front line near Kupyansk city, Kharkiv. EPA

Ukrainian servicemen near the recently retaken town of Lyman in Donetsk region. AFP

An officer from a Ukrainian national police emergency demining team prepares to detonate collected anti-tank mines and explosives near Lyman, in the Donetsk region. AFP

A boy playing on a destroyed Russian tank on display in Kyiv. AFP

A young couple hiding underground during an air alert in Zaporizhzhia. AFP

Ukrainian firefighters looking for survivors after a strike in Zaporizhzhia. AFP

Workers fix a banner reading 'Donetsk, Luhansk, Zaporizhzhia, Kherson - Russia!' to the State Historical Museum near Red Square in Moscow. AFP

Residents try to cross a destroyed bridge in the Kharkiv region of Ukraine. AFP

Alyona Kishinskaya helps to clean up a shop as it prepares to reopen in Balakiya, Ukraine, after a six-month Russian occupation. Getty Images

Alla, 12, has a swinging time in Balakiya, Ukraine, as life goes on despite the war. Getty Images

Ukrainian flags in the town square in Balakiya. Getty Images

A destroyed Russian command centre in Izium, Ukraine. Getty Images

In what may be a final farewell, young Russian recruits - escorted by their wives - walk to a train station in Volgograd before being sent to war in Ukraine. AP

Russian recruits board the train to Ukraine in Volgograd. AP

Ukrainian soliders drive a tank at the recently retaken eastern side of the Oskil River in Kharkiv region, Ukraine. AFP

Volunteers pass boxes of food aid on a destroyed bridge over the Oskil River. AFP

Ukrainian soliders rest on an armoured personnel carrier. AFP

A sign warns of landmines in Izyum, eastern Ukraine. AFP

This crater was left after a missile strike in the Donetsk region of Ukraine. AFP

“Putin’s actions are plunging the world’s poorest further into despair, putting global food security on the brink and pushing up energy prices.

“These actions only serve to demonstrate Putin’s true intentions and further unite the international community against his callous plans.”

Germany has also invited Ghana, Kenya and the African Union to join the G7 meeting to discuss collaboration on issues such as climate change and humanitarian crises.

Putin's inner circle – in pictures

Head of Russia's SVR intelligence service Sergei Naryshkin has seen his status eroded by the strong resistance encountered in Ukraine, which he did not foresee. EPA

Head of Russia's Roscosmos space agency Dmitry Rogozin has threatened to abandon a Nasa astronaut on the International Space Station. AFP

Russian Defence Minister Sergei Shoigu was one of the architects of Moscow's intervention in Syria. AFP

Russian President Vladimir Putin meets with Russia's oil giant Rosneft chief Igor Sechin. He has been described as Mr Putin's right-hand man. AFP

Secretary of Russia's Security Council Nikolai Patrushev attends a meeting in Moscow. He is said to have known Mr Putin for 50 years. AFP

Sergei Ivanov, Russian special representative on questions of ecology and transport, is a close friend of Mr Putin. AFP

Federal Security Service director Alexander Bortnikov is responsible for a huge network of agents in Russia. AFP

At 58, president of the Duma Lower House of Parliament Vyacheslav Volodin is one of the younger members of the inner circle. He has been touted as a possible successor to Mr Putin. AFP

Earlier on Wednesday, the UK government confirmed earlier business associates of Roman Abramovich will be among the latest Russian oligarchs to have sanctions imposed on them.

The foreign secretary said the government is sanctioning four new Russian oligarchs, accusing them of being involved in industries helping to prop up the Russian military amid the ongoing war in Ukraine.

Alexander Abramov and Alexander Frolov, believed to be associated with former Chelsea football club owner Mr Abramovich and previous owners of major stakes in Russian steel manufacturer Evraz, are among those sanctioned.

The pair are believed to have an estimated global net worth of £4.1 billion ($4.7bn) and £1.7 billion respectively, with the government suggesting they have UK property investments worth £100 million.

Oligarchs sanctioned by the UK - in pictures

The UK has sanctioned more than 1,400 individuals and businesses, including 100 oligarchs and their relatives, since Russia invaded Ukraine in February. The list of oligarchs includes: Roman Abramovich, 55. PA

Katerina Tikhonova, left, and Maria Vorontsova, unseen, also known as Maria Putina, daughters of Russia President Vladimir Putin. Reuters

Oleg Deripaska, 54. The industrialist is worth £2 billion and has had close links with the British political establishment. He has a multimillion pound property portfolio in the UK. Reuters

Igor Sechin, 61. Officials described Mr Sechin as Mr Putin's right-hand man and the second most important person in the country. Reuters

Andrey Kostin, 65. The chairman of VTB, a Russian state-owned bank. Mr Kostin is also a member of the supreme council of the United Russia political party and deemed a close associate of Mr Putin. AP Photo

Alexei Miller, 60. The chief executive of energy company Gazprom, Russia's largest company and the world's biggest public energy supplier. AFP

Nikolai Tokarev, 71, president of the Russia state-owned pipeline company Transneft. Mr Tokarev is a former KGB officer who served with Mr Putin in East Germany towards the end of the Cold War. AP Photo

Kirill Shamalov, 39. He is Russia's youngest billionaire and the ex-husband of Mr Putin's daughter Katerina Tikhonova. Reuters

Pyotr Fradkov, 43. He is head of the sanctioned Promsvyazbank, which finances Russian defence industries, and the son of Mikhail Fradkov, a former prime minister of Russia and chief of its foreign intelligence service. Reuters

Denis Bortnikov, 47. The deputy president of government-affiliated VTB bank. His father, Alexander Bortnikov, is head of the Federal Security Service. Getty Images

Yury Slyusar, 47. The director of United Aircraft Corporation, one of the major defence organisations that has also been sanctioned. Getty Images

Airat Shaimiev, who has an estimated global net worth of £902 million, and Albert Shigabutdinov, who has an estimated global net worth of £977 million, were both also sanctioned.

Mr Shaimiev is CEO of Russian transport and construction company OAO Tatavtodor, while Mr Shigabutdinov is the boss of the AO TAIF group, which owns around 96 per cent of chemical and petrochemical processing in the Tatarstan region of Russia.

All four will face a travel ban, asset freeze and transport sanctions.

“Putin continues to rely on his cabal of selected elite to maintain control of his industrial complex and fuel his illegal invasion of Ukraine," said Mr Cleverly.

“Today we are sanctioning an additional four oligarchs who rely on Putin for their positions of authority and in turn fund his military machine.

“By targeting these individuals, we are ramping up the economic pressure on Putin and will continue to do so until Ukraine prevails.”

Superyachts of Russian oligarchs - in pictures

A judge in Fiji has ruled that US authorities can seize the Russian-owned superyacht Amadea. Fiji Sun / AP

Fijian authorities on April 19 applied to block a superyacht reportedly owned by Russian oligarch Suleiman Kerimov from leaving its waters, as the US moved to seize it. Fiji Sun / AP

The superyacht Amadea, reportedly owned by Russian oligarch Suleiman Kerimov. Fiji Sun / AFP

Solaris, a superyacht linked to sanctioned Russian oligarch Roman Abramovich, is pictured in Yalikavak, southwest Turkey. Reuters

Germany has officially confiscated the world's largest superyacht, the 'Dilbar', owned by Russian oligarch Alisher Usmanov, as part of sanctions against Moscow following the outbreak of war in Ukraine. AFP

The Dilbar, covered with plastic sheets, is docked in a shipyard of Blohm & Voss in the harbour of Hamburg, Germany. AFP

The Flying Fox superyacht is seen docked at Don Diego Port in Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic, which is linked to Russian oligarch Dmitry Kamenshchik. Getty Images

The Flying Fox superyacht. Getty Images

The Flying Fox superyacht. Getty Images

MySky superyacht owned by Russia's Igor Kesaev is seen in the waters of the Indian Ocean near Male, Maldives. Reuters

Titan superyacht owned by Russia's Alexander Abramov is seen in the waters of the Indian Ocean near Male, Maldives. Reuters

Spanish Civil Guards stand by the Tango superyacht, belonging to Russian oligarch Viktor Vekselberg, which was seized on behalf of US authorities. Photo: Juan Poyates Oliver / Reuters

Solaris, a superyacht linked to sanctioned Russian oligarch Roman Abramovich, is pictured in Bodrum, southwest Turkey. Reuters

The superyacht Nord, reportedly owned by the sanctioned Russian oligarch Alexei Mordashov, is docked in the far eastern port of Vladivostok, Russia. Reuters

The superyacht Nord, reportedly owned by the sanctioned Russian oligarch Alexei Mordashov. Reuters

Britain on Tuesday detained a Russian-owned, $50-million superyacht boasting a fresh-water swimming pool, in what it called a "warning" to Moscow of the consequences for invading Ukraine. AFP

The impounding of Phi, the first superyacht ever to be held in British waters, comes after the UK sanctioned hundreds of Russian individuals and entities in recent weeks over the Kremlin's war. AFP

The PHI superyacht, detained by a unit of Britain's National Crime Agency (NCA). AFP

Solaris, a superyacht linked to sanctioned Russian oligarch Roman Abramovich, docks at a marina in Bodrum, in southwest Turkey. Ihlas News Agency / Reuters

Eclipse, a superyacht linked to sanctioned Russian oligarch Roman Abramovich. Reuters

The superyacht 'Scheherazade', which has been linked to Russian President Vladimir Putin, is moored in the port at Marina di Carrara on March 23, 2022 in Carrara, Italy. Getty Images

The yacht 'Scheherazade', which is about 140 metres long and worth over 700 million dollars, is moored at the 'The Italian Sea Group' shipyard. Getty Images

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky requested the seizure of the superyacht Scheherazade in a speech to the Italian Parliament. Getty Images

The superyacht Amadea. Fiji Sun / AFP

Around 1,200 people and 120 entities have been sanctioned by the UK government in total.

Meanwhile, Defence Secretary Ben Wallace said Mr Putin would be “foolish” to use so-called tactical nuclear weapons in Ukraine and warned Russia would be met with unspecified but “severe consequences”.

Appearing before the Commons Defence Committee, Mr Wallace also rubbished unsubstantiated Russian allegations that Ukraine was possibly producing “dirty bombs”.

“The claims by Russia of the preparation of a tactical nuclear weapon by Ukraine, or indeed facilitated by the United Kingdom or any other power, is not correct and is not true,” he said.

“No one is preparing or facilitating a dirty nuclear weapon, a nuclear bomb. For the United Kingdom first of all it would be abhorrent, secondly it would be against, in our view, international law and thirdly would be totally unjustifiable.”

Chelsea's Roman Abramovich and other Russians have assets frozen after UK sanctions - video