For Ukrainians, every delay is measured in lives. What we had hoped for since the start of this war, but even more so in the last few weeks, is an immediate and visible ceasefire on the ground, as a lead-up to a true and just peace.
But instead of real pressure, we continue to see diplomatic choreography while Russia escalates its missile strikes, drone attacks, and shelling of civilians. Every so-called “promise” from Russian President Vladimir Putin has only been followed by more death and destruction.
Last week, a Russian strike on Kyiv hit the building housing the European Union’s mission to Ukraine. This was not only another assault on Ukrainian civilians, it was an attack on EU property itself, a clear act of aggression that shows Russia is at war with Europe.
A just peace has only one meaning: the full de-occupation of Ukraine, real security guarantees, and accountability for Russia’s war crimes and destruction. That path is possible, but it requires tools that apply real pressure, like tough, targeted sanctions on oil and gas.
True peace efforts must respect Ukraine’s territorial integrity, not ideas of land “gifts” for the very regions brave Ukrainians have spent the last three years fighting to protect.
Rumours have been circulating in Brussels that the EU’s 19th sanctions package will not include any major new restrictions on the oil and gas sales that bankroll Russia’s war. If true, this would be a grave mistake; one that risks prolonging Ukraine’s suffering and leaving Europe dangerously exposed to the very fossil-fueled leverage Putin has weaponised for years.
Red carpets and rides in ‘The Beast’ won’t stop Putin. Only hard-hitting sanctions will.
Russia’s position is not one of strength; it is one of attrition, kept afloat only by fossil fuel revenues that keep Putin’s army well financed.
With the 19th sanctions package currently under discussion, Europe now has to step up and stop waiting for action from the U.S. if it truly wants an end to this war.
Europe’s leaders surely know this, but are forced to appease an unpredictable Donald Trump.
They also know Russia is far from dominating the battlefield. Just hours before the Oval Office meeting between Trump and President Volodymyr Zelensky, the British Defense Ministry assessed that at current rates, it would take Moscow 4.4 years to capture the territory it claims to have annexed, and that it would cost an additional 1.93 million casualties on top of the over one million Russian troops already killed or wounded.
Russia’s position is not one of strength; it is one of attrition, kept afloat only by fossil fuel revenues that keep Putin’s army well financed.
U.S. President Donald Trump (C-R) and President Volodymyr Zelensky (C-L) stand with European and NATO leaders for a family photo in Washington, D.C., U.S. on Aug. 18, 2025. (Tom Brenner for The Washington Post via Getty Images)
That is where sanctions matter most. Since the invasion began, Russia has earned more than €900 billion from fossil fuel exports.
Yet, sanctions are already making an impact.
The U.K. Foreign Office estimates that sanctions have stripped the Kremlin of €386 billion in war funds, including €120 billion in lost oil tax revenues. Russia’s fossil fuel trade has been pushed onto longer, more expensive routes, shadow-fleet tankers have been blacklisted, and Moscow’s foreign reserves are shrinking.
A full embargo on Russian fossil fuels is long overdue.
Pressure is working. But it is still nowhere near enough.
Europe’s next sanctions package must finally strike at the heart of Putin’s war chest. Europe cannot keep tinkering around the edges. A full embargo on Russian fossil fuels is long overdue, and the oil price cap should be slashed to $20–25 per barrel, the level that would actually hurt Moscow rather than help it.
Equally urgent is cutting off Russia’s prized LNG projects, including Arctic LNG 2, one of Putin’s personal crown jewels.
The Russian shadow fleet of tankers must be dismantled through strict enforcement of maritime transparency, ownership disclosure, and oversight of insurers and flag states. And sanctions must be aligned across the Atlantic, with the EU and the U.K. working with the U.S. in imposing tough secondary measures on Russia’s biggest energy customers.
Europe also needs to look at its own fossil fuel dependency. Replacing Russian LNG with fossil fuels from other autocratic regimes would mean repeating the same dangerous mistakes of the past. Reliance on U.S. LNG should also be carefully weighed, particularly with an unpredictable administration in Washington.
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True energy security will never come from trading one dependency for another. It will come from breaking free of fossil fuels altogether. That means massively investing in cheaper renewables and prioritising energy efficiency over destructive fossil infrastructure.
The EU has made remarkable progress in reducing its dependence on Russian energy, but this is not the time to slow down.
Every euro denied to Russia’s treasury is a missile that cannot be built, a drone that cannot be launched, a life in Ukraine that can be spared. Putin is counting on Europe’s hesitation and Trump’s vanity. He is exploiting Washington’s theatrics to buy time on the battlefield.
Europe cannot afford to wait. By strengthening sanctions now and cutting off the fossil cash that fuels Russia’s war, the EU can demonstrate that its commitment to Ukraine is not only about words, but about action.
A united, determined Europe can close the loopholes, dry up Putin’s war chest, and bring closer the day when peace is built on justice, accountability, and security.
That is the only kind of peace Ukrainians can accept, and the only kind of peace Europe should stand for.
Editor’s Note: The opinions expressed in the op-ed section are those of the authors and do not purport to reflect the views of the Kyiv Independent.
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