Ukrainian campaign group Razom We Stand today welcomes the EU Council’s final approval of the REPowerEU Regulation to phase out Russian gas, a major step towards Europe’s full independence from Russian fossil fuels and a cleaner energy future. The decision marks a victory for Razom We Stand, which has campaigned relentlessly for a complete phase-out of Russian fossil fuels since the beginning of the full-scale invasion in 2022.
The REPowerEU Regulation locks in commitments to end Russian energy imports and break free from the fossil fuels that have fuelled Putin’s relentless war against Ukraine, and continuous attacks against the European Union, democracy and international law.
“We applaud this historic decision – it proves Europe can get rid of Russian gas and build a secure, sustainable energy system instead,” said Svitlana Romanko, Founder and Executive Director of Razom We Stand. “But adopting the REPowerEU Regulation is just the start. Russia’s still raking in billions from gas and oil – every cubic meter and barrel sold funds bombs raining down upon Ukraine, blowing up our energy and heating systems as the weather plummets to -20c. The EU must finally slam the door shut completely on Russia’s fossil fuel-funded war economy.”
Razom We Stand is calling for further urgent action:
- A full EU ban on maritime services for Russian oil and LNG, following the UK’s November 2025 model that started to hit the shadow fleet hard.
- Tougher enforcement with ship inspections and seizures, like the US, UK and Germany are already doing.
- Closing the refining loophole: ban on imports of oil products from refineries in third countries that process Russian crude oil.
- Rapid support of energy efficiency measures and rapid scale-up of cheaper decentralised clean energy to replace costly imported Russian fossil fuels, and create real energy security in both Ukraine and Europe.
This week, new research proves that modern, cheaper renewables have passed fossil energy in Europe as the largest source of power generation, showing that only political will is needed to implement real solutions to EU dependency on Russian energy.
The EU must continue to end the flow of funds going to Russia to keep the war machine running, for a just peace for Ukraine.
