Sainsbury's has announced a major fuel ban coming to every UK supermarket.
In support of the people of Ukraine, the supermarket giant has confirmed that there will be no Russian diesel available in its 315 British forecourts by the end of the year.
The move comes as the retail chain faced pressure from its customers over stocking Russian products.
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Phasing out the use of Russian oil in fuel could impact prices paid by motorists using its pumps, reports DerbyshireLive.
Rhian Bartlett, food commercial director at Sainsbury's, said “We stand united with the people of Ukraine and have taken a range of steps to show our support – from helping to fund the humanitarian effort on the ground, to removing products from our stores which are 100% sourced from Russia.
“We have been working hard to reduce the amount of diesel we sell which comes from Russia since the early days of the conflict.
“This is a complex process but we are committed to working together with the rest of the UK fuel industry and Government to support the ban on Russian oil imports, which is due to take effect by the end of this year.”
Diesel and petrol prices remain historically high, figures show, triggered largely by the Russian invasion of Ukraine. Statistics from data firm Experian Catalist show diesel prices reached an average of 181.0p per litre on Wednesday, up from 180.9p a day earlier, Kent Live reports.
There are wide-ranging financial sanctions and restrictions taken by the West following Vladimir Putin's invasion of Ukraine.
It comes amid pressure on retailers and energy firms to shake off their reliance on Russia for certain products after the country launched an assault on Ukraine in February. Russia is the third-biggest oil producer in the world behind Saudi Arabia and the United States.
