On December 18, the UK released an expanded package of European sanctions against Russia aimed at cutting "revenues critical to the war effort," which included Russneft, a Russian oil producer that had delivered oil to Georgia’s newly launched Kulevi refinery in October. In a statement issued on December 19, the British embassy stated, "We call on all our partners, including Georgia, to strengthen efforts to prevent imports from the Russian shadow fleet," emphasizing that these vessels were not only designed to bypass sanctions but also disregarded safety and environmental standards, thereby creating serious threats to maritime security.

The embassy further emphasized that Georgia was encouraged to safeguard its energy security by decreasing its growing dependence on Russian oil, which had risen since 2022, and by limiting financial flows supporting Russia’s war machine, while noting that the newly announced measures were intended to "remove Russian oil from the global market by targeting an additional four producers, along with networks facilitating the illicit Russian oil trade".