Ukrainian campaign group Razom We Stand responds to today’s Alaska meeting with Trump and Putin. Last-minute reporting says land or critical minerals gifts, offering Alaskan resources to Putin, or even talk of coming US business deals with Russia are what Trump plans to use to pressure the former KGB agent Putin, who is notably adept at manipulation.
Dr Svitlana Romanko, Founder and Executive Director of Razom We Stand, said:
“What Ukrainians have hoped for at minimum would be a ceasefire as a leadup to a true and just peace. Despite any positive words Putin could use to manipulate the American President, a grain of salt is bigger than the concrete measures Russia has made so far towards peace.
In fact, us Ukrainians know all too well the tragic human cost we’ve suffered after every broken Putin promise, and on the ground today there are no signs of anything from Russia besides continued ongoing brutal attacks. In the past past 24 hours, Russia launched missile strikes, air strikes, and conducted thousands of shellings and drone attacks across our country. The time for empty threats is over; it’s time to seriously dry up Russia’s war chest, which is best done by cutting its fossil fuel exports, exerting real pressure that could bring an end to Putin’s horrors.”
Dr. Romanko and Razom We Stand call for these measures to be implemented now:
- Trump should announce that he will sign US Senator Graham’s existing “bone-crushing” sanctions bill, which contains tough 500% tariffs.
- Place full sanctions on all Russian fossil fuel exports, and put secondary sanctions on countries that consume them, like Trump did on India last month, and threatened this week to tighten further.
- Strengthen sanctions on LNG exports, especially the sanctions from Jan 2025 on Arctic LNG, one of Putin’s personal favorite new mega-energy projects.
- Create international mechanisms to find and track the illegal shadow fleet of ships exporting Russian oil. Enforce existing laws to dry up the industry.
- Imposing a total embargo on Russian fossil fuels and, at minimum, lowering the oil price cap to $20–25 per barrel.
Functioning sanctions against Russia’s oil and gas industry will save Ukrainian lives. Since the beginning of the war, Russia has earned more than $1 trillion (€921 billion) from fossil fuel exports, funding the brutality, murder, and war crimes committed against Ukrainians for over three years. UK government estimates sanctions have deprived the Kremlin of ca. $450 billion in war funds; proof that they work.Existing measures have already forced Russia into longer trade routes, higher shipping costs, and shrinking foreign reserves, proof that pressure is working. But instead of acting decisively, President Trump is rewarding Putin with a photo opportunity on American soil, when Putin should be arrested for war crimes, including for kidnapping Ukrainian children. Strengthened and aligned sanctions and economic punishment measures are needed now, not after more delays.
