As EU leaders gather today in Copenhagen for crisis talks, Ukrainian campaign group Razom We Stand warns that Europe cannot afford to make this meeting just another photo op. EU leaders should be focusing on strengthening the REPowerEU plan to phase out Russian fossil fuels and accelerate Europe’s renewable transition with concrete measures that will finally put a stop to Putin’s war. After Russia’s latest barrage of more than 600 drones and missiles over the weekend, killing at least four people in Kyiv, injuring dozens more, and with Russia continuing to violate NATO’s borders, the stakes could not be higher.
Since the start of the full-scale invasion, the EU has paid EUR 240 billion into the Kremlin’s war chest through fossil fuel imports, including EUR 105 billion in LNG. Russia has earned more than EUR 5.4 billion in taxes from LNG deals with European companies since 2022, money directly converted into missiles and drones terrorising Ukrainian civilians.
Dr Svitlana Romanko, Founder and Director of Razom We Stand, said:
“Copenhagen must not become just another stage for speeches. Instead, it should be the moment Europe finally turns REPowerEU from a roadmap on paper into action in reality. Europe is at a crossroads, and EU leaders need to deliver bold action to end Russian fossil fuel revenues once and for all if they are serious about ending this war and protecting Europe.
Every delay to a full ban on Russian fossil fuels means more drones flying into EU airspace, more missiles hitting Ukrainian homes, and most importantly, more innocent lives lost. REPowerEU provides Europe with everything it needs to accelerate growth in clean renewables, secure energy security, and end dependence on Russian fossil fuels. Europe must wake up: this war is on its doorstep, and only by breaking free from Russian fossil fuels can the EU defend peace, security, and democracy.”
Razom We Stand is calling on EU leaders to seize the Copenhagen meeting as the moment to strengthen REPowerEU with concrete measures to stop Putin’s war, and for the EU institutions to quickly agree on adopting stronger measures, including:
- Extend the ban to include oil: Phase out all Russian oil imports by 1 January 2026 at the latest, closing loopholes exploited by Hungary and Slovakia that have already delivered €5.4 billion in tax revenues to the Kremlin.
- Bring deadlines forward: End short-term gas contracts by January 2026 and all long-term contracts and LNG terminal services by January 2027, not January 2028.
- Delete the “security of supply” suspension clause under Article 15: No clause should allow Russian gas to creep back into EU markets under the guise of supply security. The suggestion that lifting a future ban on Russian gas imports would somehow strengthen the EU’s security of supply is a blatant fallacy.
- Strengthen diversification plans: Require all Member States to submit transparent, public national plans with binding milestones for replacing Russian oil and gas with renewables, efficiency, and gas demand reduction.
- Enhance traceability: Introduce certificates of origin to prevent Russian gas from being laundered through third countries. These documents would help to avoid the whitewashing of Russian gas and ensure the traceability of gas in both importing and consuming countries.
- Fix weak points in the proposal: Permanently ban transshipments, ban EU companies from reselling Russian LNG outside the EU, and stop European banks from processing Russian fossil fuel payments through Turkey and elsewhere.
Razom We Stand’s report, Getting Rid of Russian Gas Dependency in EU Member States: A Case-by-Case Approach, shows that the EU already has everything it needs—the technology, the tools, and the policies—to break free from Russian LNG. Ending reliance on Russian gas is clearly achievable and crucial for a stable, peaceful, and climate-safe future. What is missing is political will.
