G7 leaders have renewed commitments to support Ukraine, strengthening sanctions on Russia, and increasing pressure on its war economy. Ukrainian campaign group Razom We Stand welcomes the political momentum, anticipating how this will be turned into decisive action to permanently end Russia’s fossil fuel revenues.
The Group of Seven summit comes as 11 were killed in Ukraine on early Monday morning and the Kyiv-Pechersk Lavra, one of the Eastern Orthodox Churches most sacred sites was damaged. U.S. President Donald Trump signaled he is prepared to swiftly reimpose sanctions on Russian oil exports as peace talks are finalised with Iran, stabilizing global energy markets.
Svitlana Romanko, Ukrainian Founder and Executive Director of Razom We Stand, said:
“The G7’s recognition that now is the right moment for additional sanctions is welcome, but Ukraine cannot afford another cycle of promises without implementation.
It must be agreed to move beyond temporary restrictions and adopt a permanent ban on Russian crude oil and refined petroleum products, similar to the European Union’s REPowerEU strategy. The oil price cap should not be frozen at current levels, it must be lowered further to cut Kremlin revenues. At the same time, sanctions enforcement remains critical. Loopholes in LNG trade, shipping, insurance, and the shadow fleet continue to undermine existing measures and allow Russia’s war machine to operate.
The G7 has acknowledged that pressure on Russia’s war economy must increase. Now leaders must act with the urgency that Ukrainians have demanded since the first day of the full-scale invasion.”
In their joint statement, G7 leaders pledged to increase pressure on Russia’s war economy and confirmed plans to strengthen sanctions on the oil and gas sectors.
The leaders stated:
“We stress the importance of energy resilience, on the basis of the needs and priorities expressed by Ukrainian authorities. We agree to provide further support to get the country through next winter.
We commit to increase the pressure on the Russian war economy. In this context, we will strengthen our sanctions, including those on the oil and gas sectors. We consider this the right moment to proceed with additional measures.”
Despite more than four years of Russia’s full-scale war against Ukraine, fossil fuel exports remain one of the Kremlin’s largest sources of revenue. Oil and gas sales continue to finance military operations, weapons production, and attacks against Ukrainian civilians and infrastructure.
This solidarity from the G7 also comes as recent UK sanctions have allowed backdoor exports of Russian fossil fuel and as Japan continues to receive Russian LNG through Sakhalin-2.
Razom We Stand calls on G7 leaders to:
- Implement a permanent ban on Russian crude oil and refined petroleum product imports and trade.
- Lower the G7 oil price cap to further reduce Russia’s fossil fuel revenues.
- Fully sanction Russian LNG exports and related infrastructure.
- Strengthen enforcement against sanctions evasion, including shipping, insurance, trading intermediaries, and the shadow fleet.
- Coordinate sanctions implementation across the G7, EU, UK, and allied partners to eliminate remaining loopholes.
- Accelerate support for Ukraine’s energy resilience and reconstruction ahead of the coming winter.
As the G7 recognizes a renewed opportunity to increase pressure on Moscow, Razom We Stand urges leaders to ensure that sanctions on Russian fossil fuels become permanent, comprehensive, and fully enforced.
