21.09.23 / #ClimateAction #renewables #energyefficiency Ukraine sanctions oil LNG / Press Release

Ukrainian expert reacts to Guterres' speech at UN today: The fundamental steps

Sept 20, 2023 - For immediate release

Kyiv, Ukraine -
Today UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres has just addressed the General Assembly. In his riveting speech, he states that

  • Multiple crises threaten the very future of humanity and the fate of our planet.
  • Crises like the war in Ukraine and the multiplication of conflicts around the globe.
  • Crises like the climate emergency and biodiversity loss. 

At the United Nations meeting in New York, with President Biden also in attendance, the focus is on peace, climate and cooperation. The fundamental steps – like price restrictions on Russian energy resources – should be introduced to ensure that energy resources are no longer used as weapons.

Svitlana Romanko, Founder and Director of the Ukrainian climate and peace group Razom We Stand, said,
"People across my country suffer daily from horrific atrocities of Russian rockets, bullets, and bombs, and this week we found out that US companies like Halliburton are helping fund this suffering. I agree with UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres that multiple crises are multiplying threats to humanity, and leaders must act.​ The UN and world leaders must hold the Russian Federation accountable for its war crimes in Ukraine. If President Biden and the international community want to support Ukraine, they must immediately enact a full and transparent embargo of all cooperation with Russian firms, including for financial services, and they must close loopholes in the existing sanctions package. With these changes, leaders can solve both the climate crisis and stop Russia's war on my country. No companies anywhere should be profiting from the suffering of innocent people in Ukraine."

Ukrainian Svitlana Romanko is in New York to take a stand against continued US and international support for Russia through the ongoing consumption of Russian fossil fuels and enabling further Russian oil and gas infrastructure expansion. These massive Russian exports exacerbate the climate crisis, especially in the form of LNG gas and its colossal climate bombs. Oil and gas exports are the most significant income source of Putin's war chest.

As the UN also hosts its Climate Ambitions Summit today, Sept. 20, Razom We Stand points out that climate disruption is also a costly threat to global economic stability, with the Wall St. Journal reporting that not acting on climate could cost the global economy $178 trillion by 2070 if not resolved. To avoid the worst of climate damage, clean energy production must be boosted. As for Russia, the USA must strengthen sanctions to stop the expansion of Russian fossil fuel infrastructure, especially LNG, which is a dire threat to international energy security, climate and peace.

Razom We Stand is a Ukrainian organisation active internationally and calling for a total and permanent embargo on Russian fossil fuels and an immediate end to all investment into Russian oil and gas companies.

Press Contacts:
Jason Kirkpatrick, press@razomwestand.org
Snr. Communications Mgr., Razom We Stand

Notes to editors: