Antony J. Blinken 71st U.S. Secretary of State | Official Website
The U.S. Department of State and the UK Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office have issued a joint statement following their second U.S.-UK Strategic Sanctions Dialogue. The dialogue took place in London on May 8, 2024, continuing from the inaugural meeting held in Washington, D.C., in July 2023.
The discussions aimed to deliver on the commitment under the 2023 Atlantic Declaration for a Twenty-First Century U.S.-UK Economic Partnership to strengthen coordination on sanctions and export controls. The dialogue brought together both countries' departments and agencies for strategic discussions on priorities across geographic and thematic sanctions and export control regimes.
The UK delegation was led by the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office, with senior officials from His Majesty’s Treasury, and the Department of Business and Trade also participating. The U.S. delegation was led by the State Department with senior officials from the U.S. Department of the Treasury and Department of Commerce.
Both nations reaffirmed that sanctions and export controls are essential tools of national security policy. They discussed using targeted, coordinated sanctions and export control measures to deter malign activity, disrupt it, and defend international norms.
In response to Russia's war against Ukraine, they highlighted how their joint efforts with allies have imposed unprecedented costs on Russia through sanctions and export controls. These measures are reportedly depriving Russia's military of essential components and technology while constraining Putin's ability to wage war on Ukraine.
Beyond Russia, both nations reaffirmed their shared commitment to opposing those who threaten peace, security, and stability in the Middle East. This commitment is reflected in recent coordinated actions targeting Iranian malign actors, Hamas leaders and financiers, Palestinian Islamic Jihad leaders and financiers, as well as those enabling Houthi Red Sea attacks.
The United States and the United Kingdom pledged to intensify their coordination on United Nations sanctions regimes as well as autonomous ones bilaterally or with other partners. This includes action to promote accountability for human rights violations and abuses, tackle corruption, counter terrorism and weapons proliferation, and target cyber-criminal networks.
The joint statement concluded with a commitment to continue working together and with allies to ensure the effectiveness of their sanctions and export control measures. They will also collaborate to counter circumvention occurring in third country jurisdictions to strengthen their measures in support of shared national security and foreign policy goals.
