Late yesterday, it was revealed that the European Commission is no longer putting forward a legal proposal to ban all Russian oil imports on 15 April as previously planned, without announcing a new date, and the proposal is no longer on the Commission’s list of agenda items for the next two months. In confusingly contradictory statements, a Commission spokesperson said the EU executive arm was committed to the permanent ban on Russian oil, and EU Energy Commissioner Dan Jørgensen said Europe should never again buy ‘one molecule’ of Russian gas.
Ukrainian campaign group Razom We Stand today seeks immediate clarification on this issue, and demands:
- a full commitment by EU leaders to rapidly ending European funding for Russia’s war, being sent in the form of European payments for Russia energy exports
- a quick finalisation and implementation of the 20th Sanctions Package and REPowerEU plans to end Russian energy imports
Yesterday saw some of the worst attacks on Ukraine, with Russia launching roughly 1000 drones at Ukraine in the largest attack over a 24-hour period, in what apparently is the beginning of a Spring offensive. At least six were reported dead, with dozens injured.
Dr Svitlana Romanko, Founder and Executive Director of Razom We Stand, said: “The Russian Spring offensive, starting now, appears to be targeting civilians across Ukraine, and we see a continuation of war crimes that continue to cause massive human suffering in my country. Any money sent from Europe to Russia is dripping with Ukrainian blood, and every time these decision-makers decide to delay Russian fuel bans, they should be conscious that their decisions are paid for in lives lost by those fighting on the front lines of Putin’s attack on freedom in Europe. I insist that European leaders must no longer continue to fund this brutality in Ukrainian people, and we must hear clear commitments to moving forward quickly with concrete Russian energy bans, as planned for in the EU 20th Sanctions package and the REPowerEU roadmap.”
Detailing these European cash flows to Russia, Razom We Stand has released a new report entitled “Europe’s Russian Energy Dependency Scorecard”, scoring the UK, Belgium, France, Germany, and Spain on their weaknesses in cutting Russian fossil fuel revenues that have topped €200 billion since the 2022 invasion. On issues of sanctions and shadow fleet enforcement, EU nations are exposed as leaving critical loopholes that continue funding Moscow’s brutality. The report offers clear recommendations to end all EU funding for war.
