U.K. says 9.7% of its fuel imports in 2021 came from Russia

The U.K. said 9.7% of its fuel imports came from Russia last year, underscoring the depth of the trade links between the nations before sanctions were imposed because of the invasion of Ukraine.

Russia was the Britain’s largest supplier of refined oil, accounting for almost a quarter of all imports of the commodity used to make gasoline and or diesel for vehicles. That’s part of the 10.3 billion pounds ($13.6 billion) of goods imports that came from Russia last year, about 2.2% of the total for the U.K.

The U.K. also imported 1 billion pounds of crude oil from Russia last year as well as 1 billion pounds of natural gas, used to generate electricity and for heating and cooking.

Prime Minister Boris Johnson has pledged to phase out Britain’s dependence on Russia for fuel, though the government also says that limiting supplies is pushing up prices and adding to a cost-of-living crisis.

Economists expect inflation data on Wednesday to show consumer price growth hit 6.1% in February, more than three times the Bank of England’s target.