At the COP30 climate summit, Ukraine, we will bring one of the most urgent yet underreported issues to the global climate stage: the need to halt Russia’s fossil fuel expansion in the Arctic through coordinated international sanctions. The panel discussion “Halting Russia’s Strategic Projects in the Arctic: Sanctions to Protect the Climate” will take place at the Ukraine Pavilion on 17 November, 16:30–18:00, bringing together prominent international campaigners, researchers, and policymakers.
Organised by Razom We Stand, Ukraine’s leading climate justice organisation, in cooperation with Ecoaction and international partners including B4Ukraine and Greenpeace, the event will highlight how Russia’s Arctic ambitions are undermining both global security and climate stability.
The event comes shortly after the National Security and Defence Council of Ukraine (NSDC) adopted a decision to impose sanctions on Russian Arctic fossil fuel projects and the companies involved in their construction, operation, and maintenance. This landmark decision marks the first time a national government has recognised the Arctic’s climate destruction as a global security threat linked to Russian aggression.
“Every tonne of gas or oil exported from the Arctic fuels both missiles that hit Ukrainian cities and greenhouse gases that destabilise our shared planet. Ukraine’s leadership shows the world that sanctions are not only a tool for justice—they are a tool for climate protection”, – comments the decision Svitlana Romanko, Founder and Executive Director of Razom We Stand.
Panel discussion line-up includes:
Nezir Sinani, Executive Director, B4Ukraine Coalition
Svitlana Romanko, Founder & Executive Director, Razom We Stand
Thomas Gelin, EU Political Campaigner, Greenpeace European Unit
Alice Ross, Co-editor, Unearthed
Svitlana Krakovska, Senior Scientist, National Antarctic Scientific Centre
Maryna Tsymbaliuk, Climate Policy Expert, Centre for Environmental Initiatives “Ecoaction”
The discussion will explore how sanctions on Russian Arctic projects can become a legitimate climate protection mechanism under international law. Speakers will also assess recent UK sanctions on Arctic LNG-2 vessels, examine Europe’s continued imports of Yamal LNG, and call for coordinated global action to stop the militarisation and ecological destruction of the Arctic.
Since 2023, Razom We Stand has published multiple reports and policy briefings exposing the links between Russia’s fossil fuel revenues and its war machine, with the latest examining ongoing exports from the Yamal LNG project. These publications collectively make the case that ending the Arctic fossil fuel extraction is crucial to upholding the Paris Agreement’s 1.5 °C target and achieving sustainable peace.
Journalists covering climate, energy, and geopolitics are invited to attend the event at the Ukraine Pavilion, COP30 Blue Zone, Belém, on November 17, 2025, at 16:30 local time. Interview opportunities with speakers will be available on-site.
