As President Volodymyr Zelenskyy prepares to address the UN General Assembly today, Ukrainian campaign group Razom We Stand welcomed Donald Trump’s overnight remarks that Ukraine can win back all of its territory but warned that words mean little without the “bone-crushing” sanctions we have so long been promised.
Only with true, biting sanctions against Russia’s energy sector can Ukraine and the rest of the world finally stop Putin’s war machine.
Dr Svitlana Romanko, Founder and Executive Director of Razom We Stand, said, “Trump’s latest unpredictable pivot, now claiming that Ukraine can and should win back all its territory, is a welcome shift for many Ukrainians. But only concrete actions, not just words of support, will stop the bombs falling on our cities and taking the lives of innocent Ukrainians.
“What we need is action: bold, biting sanctions that cut off the fossil fuel profits still powering Putin’s war. If the United States is serious, then Trump must move beyond speeches and finally deliver, giving Ukraine a real chance for victory.
That means finally signing Senator Graham’s sanctions bill, placing full sanctions on all Russian fossil fuel exports, enforcing secondary sanctions on buyers of Russian oil, tightening restrictions on Putin’s prized Arctic LNG, and shutting down the shadow fleet of tankers that carry Russia’s blood-stained oil. Every day of delay or change of heart from Trump’s administration simply means more money that the Kremlin can spend on missiles targeting our homes.”
Just last week, Donald Trump demanded that NATO allies stop buying Russian oil and gas before the US took further action. Yet the United States still imports products made from refined Russian crude. New data from the Centre for Research on Energy and Clean Air (CREA) shows that between January 2024 and June 2025, the US imported €3.1 billion of oil products from Indian refineries, of which €1.3 billion came from Russian crude.
Meanwhile, the US government continues to do nothing about US oilfield services giant SLB, which has expanded its operations in Russia. It has signed contracts with the Russian oil and gas institute Vnigni to help develop projects, a direct contribution to Moscow’s war machine.
Razom We Stand urges the US administration to sign Senator Lindsey Graham’s “bone-crushing” sanctions bill, including 500% tariffs.
They are calling on Washington to fully sanction Russian fossil fuel exports, with secondary sanctions on buyers such as China.
Strengthen LNG sanctions, particularly targeting Arctic LNG 2 and create international enforcement mechanisms to find and stop the illegal shadow fleet of oil tankers.
Immediately ban companies like SLB from aiding or transporting Russian fossil fuels and to lower the oil price cap to $20–25/barrel.
