You can contact DIT’s Export Support Team by phone or online:

• Phone 0300 303 8955 (Monday to Friday, 8am to 6pm - excluding public holidays)
• Use this online service that is specifically for enquiries about trading with Ukraine or Russia

Finance stopped for exports to Russia and Belarus

The UK government has announced it will no longer issue any new guarantees, loans and insurance for exports to Russia and Belarus.

UK Export Finance (UKEF) – the UK’s export credit agency – has also confirmed it will remain open to supporting trade to Ukraine with £3.5 billion of capacity available as part of its support. This means UKEF can continue to help UK exporters and Ukrainian buyers access the finance they need to trade commercially.

Trade sanctions against Russia – what cannot be imported or exported

The government has announced a ban on exports to Russia of high-end luxury goods, while also hitting hundreds of products with new import tariffs that represent a 35 percentage point hike on current rates.

Russian imports of the following products will face an additional tariff increase of 35 percentage points: iron, steel, fertilisers, wood, tyres, railway containers, cement, copper, aluminium, silver, lead, iron ore, residue/food waste products, beverages, spirits and vinegar (this includes vodka), glass and glassware, cereals, oil seeds, paper and paperboard, machinery, works of art, antiques, fur skins and artificial fur, ships and white fish.

These sanctions are in addition to those previously announced, including on the below goods and services. For the full detail of these sanctions, including specifics relating to the below items, see the government guidance here.

If you are unclear about any aspect of the trade sanctions, you are advised to seek independent legal advice.

The regulations impose trade sanctions relating to:

• military goods and military technology
• provision of technical assistance, armed personnel, financial services or funds, or associated brokering services where such provision enables or facilitates the conduct of certain military activities
• dual-use goods and technology
• critical-industry goods and technology
• aviation and space goods and technology
• energy-related goods
• energy-related services
• goods originating in Crimea
• infrastructure-related goods
• services relating to a relevant infrastructure sector in Crimea
• services relating to tourism in Crimea

For further information on export controls (for military and dual-use items): contact the Export Control Joint Unit Helpline on 020 7215 4594 or exportcontrol.help@trade.gov.uk - or subscribe to the Export Control Joint Unit’s notices to exporters.

For further information on import controls: contact the Department for International Trade’s Import Licensing Branch: importcontrols@trade.gov.uk

For general queries about trading with Europe (but not Ukraine or Russia specifically), use the general enquiries form here.

More information on UK sanctions on Russia can be read here.

See the updated travel advice regarding Ukraine and Russia.

What businesses and individuals can do to support Ukraine

John Onion of Uprise Up has revealed some of the things that local businesses and people are doing to support the efforts in Ukraine and for Ukrainian people. See John’s LinkedIn post for more details.

There are many funds and schemes through which businesses and individuals can support the humanitarian efforts ongoing to help the people of Ukraine suffering as a result of the war waged by Russia.

These schemes include:

• Disasters Emergency Committee (DEC) Appeal: financial donations to the DEC Appeal can help purchase exactly what is required locally and get it to where it is needed quickly. The DEC “has stressed that monetary donations are needed as opposed to specific items, which are often challenging to transport and not always relevant".
• Sunflower of Peace helps paramedics and doctors on the frontline, and has been fundraising for supplies, including first aid medical tactical backpacks that can each save up to 10 lives.
• United Help Ukraine provides medical supplies and humanitarian aid, and raises awareness of the war.
• Voices of Children is helping children affected by the war in Ukraine and provides support through art therapy, psychologists, video storytelling and a number of other methods.
• The British Red Cross has launched an emergency appeal to help Ukraine. The charity will be updating its webpage with news on the work its team is doing, and how support will be used to help people.
• Save the Children have also launched an emergency fund that will go towards distributing essential humanitarian aid to children and their families, delivering winter and hygiene kits, providing cash grants to families and access to education, and giving psychological support to children and their families.