As Donald Trump declares victory in the US presidential election, both Ukrainians and Americans face one of the most pressing campaign issues: Russia’s brutal war and Trump’s promise to end it quickly. Yet, how this might happen is unknown, although Trump has prided himself on his business skills and Art of the Deal.
Razom We Stand, a leading Ukrainian campaign group, calls for the new administration to work for a just peace. This should be done by strengthening American economic sanctions on Russia’s fossil fuel exports, which is a strategic and realistic option given Trump’s past public attacks on Europe for making gas deals with Moscow and not stopping Putin’s Nordstream natural gas pipeline.
Svitlana Romanko, Founder and Executive Director of Razom We Stand, stated,
“Russia’s brutal war of aggression must be stopped. One of the best ways to do that is to cut off its war funding, which primarily comes from Russia’s fossil fuel exports. Strengthening sanctions is vital and will diminish Russia’s capacity for violence in Ukraine. If the new administration genuinely wants to keep its promise to end wars of aggression, it must ensure Russia is not rewarded for its brutality and war crimes that it has visited upon innocent Ukraine.”
Background:
Russia’s prosperous fossil fuel trade has generated close to $850 billion in revenue for the Kremlin since February 2022. Ending the “refining loophole,” allowing Russian crude oil refined by third countries to be legally sold in the United States and elsewhere, is urgent. American oil and gas firms like SLB must no longer be allowed to support the flows of Russian fossil fuels and the income streams they generate for belligerent war.
Razom We Stand urges the Trump administration to leverage economic pressure on Russia. Trump’s prior criticisms of European dependence on Russian energy underscore the opportunity for the US to lead in ending global addiction to Russian fossil fuels, curbing climate impacts, and halting war funding.
ENDS
Razom We Stand is a campaign group that focuses on ending fossil fuel conflicts and climate chaos and driving a clean energy revolution in Ukraine and the world.
Svitlana Romanko has appeared in top-tier international press, including Bloomberg, Washington Post, CNN, NBC, The Hill, Politico, Financial Times, The Guardian, Der Spiegel, Le Monde and more.
For media enquiries, please contact:
Paraic Walker
[email protected]
International Communications Specialist
Razom We Stand
