Unilever has halted all imports and exports out of Russia, becoming the first major food company to do so. The consumer goods giant, which owns dozens of household brands including Dove and Lipton, said it would continue to supply Russians with essential products but “will not invest any further capital into the country nor will we profit from our presence in Russia.”
The FMCG giant’s CEO Alan Jope said in a statement it continued to “condemn the war in Ukraine as a brutal and senseless act by the Russian state”.
He further added, Unilever would also stop all media and advertising spending in Russia, adding that its Ukrainian operations have also stopped.
It has also committed to donating €5m of its products to the ongoing humanitarian relief effort in Ukraine.
The move comes as major companies face pressure to cut ties with Russia over the war in Ukraine. Earlier in the day, Shell said it would stop buying Russian oil, even as Britain said it would ban imports of the commodity by gradually phasing them out during 2022