Rt Hon Nick Thomas-Symonds MP
Minister for the Cabinet Office
70 Whitehall
London, SW1A 2AS
2 July 2025
Dear Minister,
We write from a number of organisations working to end the war in Ukraine, with a focus on drying up money generated by Russian fossil fuel exports, which fund their war machine. We express our grave concern over recent revelations that multiple central government departments—including the Cabinet Office, 10 Downing Street, the Foreign Office, the Treasury, and the Department for Energy Security and Net Zero (DESNZ)—run on gas supplied by TotalEnergies, a company still heavily involved in importing Russian liquefied natural gas (LNG) into Europe.
This continued reliance on a supplier with documented ties to Russian fossil fuel revenues—used to finance the invasion of Ukraine—undermines the UK’s public commitment to ending dependence on Putin’s bloody oil and gas. It sets an example which profiteering companies have been only too happy to follow. This in turn has undermined the entire Western sanctions regime.
It is indefensible that public money from UK taxpayers is still flowing to a company helping to prop up Putin’s war economy. We urge the new government to immediately review and cancel this contract. Any delay sends the wrong message—to the people of Ukraine, and to the world—about the UK’s resolve to stand with those facing brutal aggression.
We respectfully request your office take the following steps:
- Immediately disclose the terms and scope of all government contracts with TotalEnergies.
- Commit to ending procurement from suppliers that maintain Russian energy ties.
- Set out a clear plan for transitioning government departments to clean, conflict-free energy sources.
Your government has an opportunity to demonstrate real leadership. Ending these contracts is a vital step toward aligning UK procurement with its foreign policy and moral commitments.
Sincerely,
Svitlana Romanko, Founder and Executive Director, Razom We Stand
Nezir Sinani, Executive Director, B4Ukraine
Lorna Powell, Co-director, Mothers Rise Up
Reba Elliott, Senior Director for Global Advocacy, Laudato Si’ Movement
Peter Cooper, Secretary, Ukraine Solidarity Campaign Scotland
Imogen Payter, Director, UK Friends of Ukraine
Tessa Khan, Executive Director, Uplift
