President Donald Trump arrived in the UK last night, and Prime Minister Keir Starmer is rolling out the red carpet and even using a meeting with the royal family to distract from his own domestic scandals. Yet both leaders are failing to focus on the real emergency, stopping Russia’s war on Ukraine by cutting off its biggest source of income: oil and gas revenues.
Despite Washington’s latest unrealistic calls for NATO members to end purchases of Russian fossil fuels, the Trump administration has still not enacted the ‘bone-crushing’ sanctions it has long promised. This unrealistic condition that includes NATO member Turkey, the third-largest buyer of Russian oil since 2023, is only creating more delay and trying to shift the blame onto Europe, just as Brussels struggles to finalise its 19th sanctions package.
The EU is already working to overcome opposition from Hungary and Slovakia. Both have repeatedly blocked or watered down collective action on Russian energy. If Europe cannot even convince its own member states to stop importing Russian energy, expecting Turkey to suddenly ditch cheap Russian oil is even less realistic. This gives the Kremlin exactly what it wants: more delay and more time to continue its war in Ukraine.
Dr Svitlana Romanko, Founder and Director of Razom We Stand, said: “Every dollar and every pound that flows to Russia through oil and gas is another missile, another drone, another family torn apart in Ukraine. Trump’s UK visit may come with handshakes and photo opportunities with royalty, but Ukrainians are paying with their lives for every day of delay. By demanding unattainable conditions, that every NATO country, even Turkey, must stop buying Russian oil before the US acts, the Trump administration is delaying while innocent lives are lost. And the UK is no better: Glasgow-based Seapeak is still shipping Russia’s gas, sending millions straight into Putin’s war chest.”
The US itself still imports products made from refined Russian crude. New data from the Centre for Research on Energy and Clean Air (CREA) shows that between January 2024 and June 2025, the US imported €3.1 billion of oil products from Indian refineries, of which €1.3 billion came from Russian crude. Meanwhile, the US government continue to do nothing about oilfield services giant SLB, which has expanded its operations in Russia, signing contracts with the Russian oil and gas institute Vnigni to help develop projects, a direct contribution to Moscow’s war machine.
The UK government has its own ongoing ties to Russian energy. Glasgow-based Seapeak Maritime Ltd continues to transport Russian liquified natural gas (LNG), with its shipments last year paying an estimated £127 million in taxes to the Russian state, money that directly funds the bombardment of Ukrainian cities.
Dr Romanko added, “No more excuses, no more delays. This war is knocking on Europe’s doorstep, and every week it inches closer. The US and UK must stop hiding behind diplomatic theatre and shut down the fossil fuel trade that keeps Putin’s killing machine alive. History will not forgive leaders who chose photo opportunities over saving lives.”
Razom We Stand calls on the US and UK to:
- Immediately ban companies like SLB and Seapeak from aiding or transporting Russian fossil fuels.
- Lower the oil price cap to $20–25/barrel.
- Apply secondary sanctions on buyers in India, China, and beyond who keep Russian exports afloat.
- Align sanctions enforcement across the US, UK, and EU to eliminate loopholes once and for all.
For the people in Ukraine, who have been living with this war for three years now, there is no time left for stalling. A united, determined front, one that cuts off Putin’s profits from fossil fuels, is the only path to peace and justice.
