As U.S. President Donald Trump speaks with Russian President Vladimir Putin today to discuss a potential ceasefire deal, Ukrainian campaign group Razom We Stand warns that sacrificing Ukraine’s sovereignty by legitimizing Russia’s territorial theft is not the path to peace. Western leaders should not bow down to Putin, who obviously is delaying peace, and must hit him where it truly hurts: Russia’s continued oil and gas profits.
Reports indicate that the Trump administration is considering recognizing Crimea as Russian territory—a move that would align U.S. policy with Putin’s goals and set a dangerous precedent of appeasement. This approach has been compared to the infamous Yalta Conference of 1945, where Soviet and Western powers divided up control of Eastern Europe, paving the way for decades of oppression.
Svitlana Romanko, Founder and Executive Director of Razom We Stand, said:
“One clear thing will work to bring peace to Ukraine: exerting maximum pressure on Russia by cutting its war funding. This is best done not by a U.S. administration brazenly offering up pieces of someone else’s country but by urgently creating the type of ‘bone-breaking’ tough sanctions that Senator Lindsey Graham mentioned recently. Both the U.S. and the EU must quickly strengthen sanctions on Russian LNG exports to drive Putin to make peace now.”
While Trump signals a willingness to bargain away Ukraine’s territory, Putin continues to stall, dragging out any potential ceasefire to consolidate his gains. This strategy buys Russia time while its war machine remains fueled by fossil fuel revenues from Europe and beyond. Since Russia’s full-scale invasion began, Russia earned EUR 842 billion in revenue from fossil fuel exports. European Union countries purchased for more than EUR 206 billion of these exports.
Razom We Stand calls for immediate action from U.S. and European leaders to:
- Implement the “bone-breaking” sanctions Senator Lindsay Graham alluded to and enforce a complete ban on Russian LNG exports.
- Sanction all shadow fleet vessels, enabling Russian oil and gas exports.
- Align U.S., EU, UK and G7 sanctions policies to close loopholes that allow Russian revenues to continue flowing.
A lasting peace will not come from rewarding Russian aggression. It will come from sanctioning Russia’s oil and gas revenue, crippling Putin’s war chest, and finally, holding Russia accountable for its horrific war crimes. Anything less betrays not only Ukraine but the fundamental values of democracy and international law.
–ENDS–
Razom We Stand is a Ukraine-based 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.
