UK mirrors EU segregation rules in ‘refining loophole’ ban in General Energy News 22/05/2026 The UK will mirror EU enforcement guidelines for its ‘refining loophole’ ban on fuels made from Russian oil in third countries, offering flexibility for refiners that can separate their crude streams and exemptions for net exporters. The new import ban came into force on May 20, seven months after it was first announced by the government in October, but exempted diesel and jet fuel, the UK’s two largest oil product imports. New sanctions will outlaw imports of refined products like gasoline, naphtha and waste oils derived from Russian crude, as well and paraffin and lubricants, the foreign ministry said. Special licenses for diesel and jet fuel were issued on an indefinite basis due to concerns over associated costs to businesses, and the Secretary of State aims to give four months’ notice before revoking the waiver, according to guidance from the department of Business and Trade. Much like the EU’s guidance on its equivalent import ban, which took effect in January, the UK will continue to allow some fuel to arrive from refiners that buy Russian crude, provided that they can meet one of two provisions. In the first case, refiners can send fuels to the UK if they have infrastructure to prevent Russian and non-Russian oil from mixing at any time, including in the terminals, pipelines and processing units. In the EU case, a similar carve-out has allowed India’s Jamnagar refinery to continue sending fuel into the bloc, after committing to exclusively refine non-Russian crude in one of two refineries at the site. In cases where refiners cannot physically segregate their feedstocks, importers must be able to demonstrate that the supplier did not receive or process Russian oil for at least 60 days. The guidelines advise all UK buyers to include assurances that imports are not produced using Russian crude oil in contractual agreements, through attestations or further evidence if re