As the G7 Foreign Ministers meet on 11-13 March in Quebec, Canada, to discuss ongoing support for Ukraine in the face of Russia’s brutal aggression, the Ukrainian campaign group Razom We Stand urges G7 nations to cut dependence on Russian LNG gas and energy exports now and to ramp up the biting sanctions on Russia that dry up its war funding.
The meeting comes as Donald Trump awaits word from Vladimir Putin today on a potential ceasefire, with the Kremlin confirming that Putin “may have an international phone call later”. This highlights exactly why the G7 must act now—any softening of sanctions or energy trade will hand Moscow a major victory and allow Putin to dictate the terms of peace on his own terms.
The G7 must take urgent action parallel to the US, which threatened new sanctions on Russia yesterday. US Sen. Lindsay Graham stated, “I am extremely sceptical that Russia will accept the ceasefire…I will be introducing bone-breaking sanctions and tariffs against Russia before the end of the week.” President Trump stated, “I can do things financially that would be very bad for Russia.”
Svitlana Romanko, Ukrainian Founder and Executive Director of Razom We Stand, said,
“We welcome fresh calls for sanctions in the US and demand that the G7 turn away from Russian fossil fuels. We insist on full sanctions now on Russian energy and especially LNG exports. Russia unleashed this brutal war, but instead of holding the aggressor accountable, the G7’s actions have not been enough and often merely help deepen the suffering of Ukrainian war victims.
By supporting Russia’s efforts to make billions on energy exports, the G7 has helped war-mongering aggressor Russia to fill its war chest, leading to more devastation and loss of life. We Ukrainians have endured endless Russian war crimes and fought tirelessly for peace. It’s time for the G7 to take more decisive action. Full sanctions on Russian fossil fuel exports and shutting down their shadow fleet are essential steps to cut off Putin’s war machine and bring peace and hold Russia accountable for its atrocities.”
Russia continues to stock its war chest and carry out horrific war crimes daily with funds from fossil fuel exports, which have earned an estimated €847 billion globally from the beginning of the full-scale invasion on February 24, 2022, until February 2025. G7 nations have helped support Russia’s exports by allowing their firms to insure or ship oil or LNG gas (as Seapeak does in the UK), as well as provide energy support services, as seen in the case of SLB from the USA.
Razom We Stand calls on the G7 Ministers meeting in Canada to:
- Implement a complete ban on Russian LNG exports
- Crackdown on the shadow fleet by sanctioning all vessels transporting Russian oil and gas without proper insurance.
- Align sanctions enforcement across the G7, US, EU, and UK to close loopholes that allow Russian fossil fuel revenues to flow.
–ENDS–
Razom We Stand is a Ukrainian campaign group active internationally. It calls for a total and permanent embargo on Russian fossil fuels and an immediate end to all investment in Russian oil and gas companies by phasing out fossil fuels globally.
Svitlana Romanko has appeared in the top-tier international press, including Bloomberg, Washington Post, CNN, NBC, Newsweek, Politico, The Hill, Rolling Stone, Financial Times, The Guardian, Der Spiegel, Le Monde and more.
Press Contact:
Jason Kirkpatrick, [email protected]
Head of Communications, Razom We Stand
